


Sirius Black and the Raising of Children

by alexmurray



Series: Sirius Black and the Raising of Children [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Disabled Character, Dumbledore Being a Dick, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Harry Potter was Raised by Sirius Black, Horcruxes, Manipulative Dumbledore, Paralysis, Politics, Pre-Hogwarts, Sirius Black-centric, Wizengamot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-01
Updated: 2016-08-16
Packaged: 2018-07-28 18:07:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 48
Words: 110,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7651153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alexmurray/pseuds/alexmurray
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Instead of running after Peter, Sirius takes Harry to the Longbottoms. After surviving the attack and learning he is a wanted man, Sirius, with the help of the Longbottoms and Tonks takes Harry and hides in the muggle world. Watch Harry grow up alongside Hermione as the adults drag the wizarding world into the 21st century. (21st century setting)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Godric's Hollow

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Standard disclaimer, I do not own Harry Potter. JK Rowling does. Also, I have set my story 20 years later than the books (to account for the fact that the books were written almost 20 years ago, so the story was roughly contemporary then). While some HP fans might be off put by this, I stand by my decision. The story is roughly contemporary as JKR originally wrote. And, in all honesty I can write a better story that takes place in the early 2000s, as I was alive then (and actually living in England).
> 
> As such, all dates are 20 years later. ie, Sirius, James, Lily, and Remus would have been born around 1980. Harry, in 2000. Voldemort was at the height of his power in the late 1990s until his downfall in 2001. Hope that helps clarify things.

**October 31st, 2001**

Sirius ran through the entrance of Godric's Hollow, into the living room. Lying on the staircase, motionless, was James. Bending down to feel his pulse, a tear fell from Sirius' eye. "No," he though, "No, you can't be dead! Oh Merlin, Lily!" he cried as he ran up the stairs. Cautiously, he reached the landing outside the nursery, and paused upon seeing the level of destruction. Taking a breath, he stepped inside, more tears flowing down his checks as he approached Lily's body. Closing her eyelids, he sank to the floor. "They're dead, they're all dead. Oh Merlin, my family is dead." Suddenly, the sound of an infant crying brought Sirius to his feet. "Harry," he thought, "Oh Merlin, Harry's alive!" Rushing to the crib, Sirius scooped up his godson, cradling him to his chest. "Its okay Harry, Paddy's here," he muttered as Harry began to relax.

The sound of someone shifting through the rubble downstairs snapped Sirius back into the real world. Quickly, still holding Harry, he moved to the corner behind the door, disillusioning and silencing the pair of them. Standing there, heart beating, he drew his wand, ready to strike. A moment passed, the sounds of someone moving up the staircase, Sirius tensed. Preparing a blasting hex, Sirius drew in and held his breath as someone entered the room. "Hagrid?" thought Sirius, "What is he doing here?" Just before he moved to reveal himself, Sirius heard Hagrid speak, "Oh Dumbledore, he's not here, what me gonna do? I can't bring 'im to ya." Sirius stopped, "Bring Harry to Dumbledore? But he was his godfather, and his godmother, Alice, would also care for him," he thought. He stopped, waited. Hagrid spoke again, "guess I'll jus' hav' ta head to the Dursley's and let 'im know Harry ain't here." Sirius' heart stopped. "Dursley's, as in Petunia? Harry couldn't live there, she would hate him! No, Dumbledore would not take Harry away from me," though Sirius. Mind made up, he remained hidden as Hagrid left.

After a few minutes passed, Sirius made his way outside, still clutching Harry close to his chest. Rounding the corner, he spotted his motorcycle. He paused for a moment. He didn't now where he was going, but Lily would kill him if he took Harry on his bike. He stood there for a moment. Everything caught up with him, Lily, James dead. Him with Harry. He hopped on his bike, sighing. He would use extra sticking charms. After about half an hour of aimless flying, Sirius came to his senses. Making his mind up, he flew towards Harry's godmother and Longbottom Manor.

Arriving at Longbottom Manor, Sirius rang the bell at the gate, alerting Frank to his arrival. Suddenly, he realized a major oversight on his part, the fidelius. Only he, James, Lily, Peter, and Dumbledore knew wh the real secret keeper was. Frank and Alice would think it was him. "That bastard!" fumed Sirius as he thought about what to do. Just as he came up with a plan, he saw Frank and Alice approaching the gate. Quickly, as soon as they were in view of him and could hear him, he held up his wand and stated "I swear on my life and magic that I am Sirius Orion Black, and that I was not he Potter's secret keeper. Pettigrew was the traitor. So I swear, so mote it be." He quickly followed that with a lumos and fell to his feet, sobbing. "James and Lily are dead. He killed them. They're gone. Oh Merlin, what have I done."

* * *

When Frank heard the gate bell ring he frowned. It was already past midnight and very few people knew they were here. The only reason he was even up was because he couldn't sleep. Sighing, he stood up and checked the wards. Sirius. Interesting. He hurried to the master bedroom to wake Alice. They had determined they would never approach the gates alone, not even for a friend. After the attack last month, it was too dangerous. Waiting a moment for Alice to don some robes and grab her wand, they headed outside.

From the end of the drive, they could see Sirius, nervously standing there. Wait, he was holding Harry! Frank quickly drew his wand, and Alice followed. The only reason Harry would be here was if the fidelius had fallen and James and Lily were dead! And Sirius was their secret keeper! Just before Frank sent a stunner, Sirius raised his wand and spoke.

"I swear on my life and magic that I am Sirius Orion Black, and that I was not he Potter's secret keeper."

"Oh Merlin," thought Frank, "that means"

"Pettigrew was the traitor. So I swear, so mote it be."

Frank gasped, "traitor, that means James and Lily really are dead!"

Alice, realizing what had happened was quickly down the drive and standing next to Sirius. Gingerly, she removed Harry from Sirius' arms and settled him in hers. While keeping Harry calm, she motioned for Frank. Understanding, Frank guided Sirius down the drive back to the manor. Alice took Harry upstairs to clean and put him to bed while Frank grabbed two shot glasses and a bottle of firewhiskey. Mechanically, he filled both, set down the bottle and took a shot. Sirius followed. They sat there in silence, neither saying a word.


	2. Attack on Longbottom Mannor

**November 1** **st** **, 2001**

Sirius awoke the next morning to unfamiliar surrounds and a pounding headache. Gingerly, he sat up, swinging his feet over the side of the bed. Rubbing his eyes, he looked around the bedroom he was currently sitting in. It was fairly simple, a four-poster bed, dresser, nightstand, and closet. The walls, neutral beige, lacked any adornment. A guest bedroom in all likelihood then. Rising from the bed, he made his way across the room to the en suite, where he found the necessities. After brushing his teeth and washing his face, he decided he was decent enough to face the day.

As Sirius was leaving the bedroom he ran into Alice, who was carrying a set of robes and a hangover potion.

"Oh, I see you have woken. I figured a clean set of robes and a hangover potion would be welcome," she stated as she handed over the stack. Sirius merely nodded, the events of last night coming back to him slowly. "Frank is downstairs with Neville and Harry. Get dressed and join us for breakfast. We will talk after."

Sirius merely nodded again and turned around, downing the potion. Immediately his head began to clear and the pain returned. James and Lily dead. Pettigrew a traitor.

About a half hour, later a freshly washed and dressed Sirius made his way downstairs to the Longbottom dining room. Harry, upon seeing him enter the room immediately shouted "Pa'foo!" and began bouncing up and down in his highchair. Scooping his godson up in his arms, Sirius balanced him on his hip.

"Morning Frank, Alice, Neville"

"Good morning, how's the head?"

"Better, thanks to your wife and her potions. Thanks for letting me stay here. I just… didn't know where to go last night…" Sirius trailed off as he sat down at the table, serving himself some eggs and toast.

"Where Dada? Mama?" questioned Harry as he burrowed his face into Sirius' shoulder.

"They're away"

"Cummin ba'?"

"No, sorry pup, Mommy and Daddy are gone"

"Gone?"

"Yes pup," Sirius replied, as tears yet again flowed down his checks. Alice approached from behind, laying her hand on his shoulder.

"Anyone you want to talk to?"

"Yah, I need to tell Remus, and explain…" He was cut off as Frank gasped.

"Oh Merlin! The paper! It's all over the front page…"

Sirius snapped the paper from Frank's hands, spreading it out in front of him. As he read, he shook with anger. "How DARE they write such lies! I would never, I couldn't…" Alice hugged him closer as she too read the headline:

YOU-KNOW-WHO Defeated! BOY-WHO-LIVED taken by BLACK!

_Last night, on October 31_ _st_ _, the impossible happened. You-know-who, in attack against the Potters was defeated when a killing curse he cast upon Harry Potter, the Potters' 15-month-old son rebounded, destroying him in the process. Sources reveal, that the Potters, who were known to have gone into hiding shortly after their son's birth, were betrayed by Black. According to close friend Peter Pettigrew, they were actually under the fidelius curse, which hid the secret of their location inside another human being. The only way You-know-who could have found the Potters was if the secret-keeper, Sirius Black, told the Dark Lord._

_Albus Dumbledore, defeater of Grindewald, stated that he was the one who cast the fidelius and Black was indeed the secret keeper. "Unfortunately, the Potter's placed their trust with the wrong friend. I only hope that we can find Black and rescue Harry before it is too late." Indeed, Dumbledore confirmed that Harry survived the attack, only to be taken away by the You-Know-Who's second in command, Sirius Black…_

"No… they cant… I didn't… I could never…" Sirius shook as sobs wracked his body. As Alice and Harry held on to him, Frank returned with a calming potion and forced Sirius to take a drink. Gingerly, he removed Harry from Sirius' arms and Alice guided him back upstairs to the guest room.

"Come on Harry, Let's go play outside with Neville," Frank announced, struggling to sound cheerful for the young boys.

A few hours later, Sirius reemerged from the bedroom and made his way downstairs. Forcing himself to appear at least somewhat cheerful, he entered the living room where Neville and Harry were busy playing with a train set. As he sat down on the couch, watching the two boys play, he felt himself relax for the first time since last night. Alice, sitting across the room from him merely looked up and nodded, somehow conveying the idea that everything would be all right.

"Where is Frank?" questioned Sirius.

"He went to Andromeda's to see what she believed. He knows how important she is to you and figures if anyone will believe you, it will be her. He should be back in a few minutes."

Sirius nodded, "Thanks. I also need to tell Remus, and…"

"Aletha, yes I know. I'm sure she doesn't believe the lies being told."

"I sure hope so," Sirius replied and both went back to watching the boys. Suddenly, the wards blared, and both Alice and Sirius jumped to their feet.

"Death eaters!" cried Alice, "Four of them!"

"Floo Frank and get the boys to safety! I'll hold them off until Frank and the Aurors arrive!" Sirius cried as he pulled his wand, crossing the living room towards the entryway. Alice nodded, grabbed the two toddlers and ran into the study where the fireplace was.

Stationing himself in the corner, Sirius saw the Lestranges and Crouch Jr attacking the wards. Carefully and silently, he prepared blocks of granite and marble to act as shields if the death eaters began firing unforgivables. Just as he had amassed a sizable pile, the wards fell with a large shudder and the death eaters began making their way across the fields. "Shit," though Sirius, "the wards should not have fallen that fast. Someone gave them information regarding the setup and location of the ward stone." Preparing a reducto, Sirius drew his wand and prepared for battle as Bellatrix blasted down the down, cackling manically.

As all four entered the room, Sirius began casting a lethal spell chain, aiming for maximum damage. Four against one with his godson on the line, Sirius was not afraid of using grey and even some slightly dark spells. As all four retaliated in kind, Sirius felt himself being overwhelmed. He only hoped he could hold them off until Frank or the Aurors arrived.

"He is mine! Find the Longbottoms! Or the boy, he may be here! Crucio!" Cried Bellatrix, aiming the unforgivable at Sirius as he levitated a block of marble into its path. "They think you have gone dark haven't they?" She giggled, "Poor widdle Siri, his friends have all abandoned him. He'll die, alone!" With that, Bellatrix cast another series of dark curses at Sirius while Rodulphus swung around to his side. As a stray diffindio caught Sirius in the shoulder, Ratabastan and Barty worked their way across the room, towards the study were Alice had gone.

"Afraid to fight me?" questioned Sirius, hoping to recall the other two, while simultaneously wincing from the cut across his shoulder. "BOMBARDA!" he yelled, his curse overpowering the shield Rodulphus had cast, blasting him back with a sickening crunch into the wall.

"How dare you!" screamed Bellatrix, "Cruicio!"

This time, Sirius' shoulder prevented him from moving a block into the way of the curse, allowing it to clip his arm. Sirius fell to the floor in a cry of agony as Bellatrix continued her taunts. Just as Sirius though he could hold out no longer, he heard the sound of Frank entering the room, casting hexes and curses at Ratabastan and Barty, drawing Bellatrix's attention away from him.

Taking a moment to catch his breath, Sirius rose again, blood streaming from his shoulder. "What took you so long Frank? Where are the Aurors?"

"Reducto!" cried Frank, "They aren't coming! The floo is blocked and there are anti-portkey and apparition wards up! Protego! I got through only as the Lord of the manor. Diffindio!"

Sirius made his way around the room until he was standing beside Frank, quickly falling back into his Auror training. Frank began casting defensive curses and conjuring shields as Sirius put his Black upbringing to work, casting nasty offensive spells. Finally, after several minutes, a lucky shot took down Ratabastan, but Sirius could feel himself and Frank tiring.

"Getting tired are we, little cousin? Not to worry, Cousin Bellatrix will soon end this! "Confringo!" She cried, catching Frank's right leg, causing him to fall as blood poured out of the mangled limb. Gathering everything he had left, Sirius shot a bombardo as Bellatrix cried "Tenebris Opstupefio!" As Bellatrix and Barty were basted towards the wall, Sirius felt his body explode in pain and his legs collapse underneath him as he hit the floor.

Frank, having placed a stasis charm around his leg, looked over at Sirius and grabbed his arm. "Andy's gift," he spluttered and the two of them felt the unmistakable pull of a portkey pull them away.

* * *

Andromeda Tonks was sitting at her kitchen table, head in her hands as she went over what Frank Longbottom had told her. Sirius hadn't betrayed the Potters. He was safe, with little Harry at Longbottom Manor. She was only beginning to wrap her head around everything that she had learned when she heard a frantic knock on the door. Sighing, she stood up, bracing herself for who it was. With Sirius at the Longbottom's and everyone think he was You-Know-Who's right hand man, she couldn't imagine it was anything good. Opening the door, her mouth fell open as she came face to face with a distraught looking Alice Longbottom, holding Harry and her son.

"Can I come in?" whispered Alice.

"Yes, of course," replied Andromeda as she ushered Alice in, looking up and down the block for trouble. "What happened?"

"Death Eaters, four of them! I have to go back, Sirius and Frank are there! The floo wasn't working; I had to run out the back and free of the wards to apparate… Oh no! The Aurors don't know either!"

"Calm down," soothed Andromeda, "How long ago did the Death Eaters arrive?"

"A few minute before Frank left here."

Andromeda sighed, that was about half an hour ago. Regardless of who won in the fight, it was sure to be over by now. All she could do now was call in the attack and hope Frank and Sirius survived. "Let me floo the Aurors. Does Frank know you are here?"

"Yes, he told me to come…"

"Good. I have him a portkey to here for Sirius. I'll call the Aurors. You just sit here and wait, I'll bring you some tea."

Alice merely nodded as Andromeda hurried over to the floo. Just as she was about to through in the powder, a loud thump emanated from the living room. Drawing her wand, she ran into the room, only to find Frank and Sirius lying on the floor, blood pooling rapidly around the two of them.

"Oh merlin!" squeaked Alice at the sight of her husband's body. "Is he…" she trailed off, unable to ask the question.

Andromeda, who had made her way over to the men took Frank's pulse as Sirius managed a weak help. "For now. Quickly, go to the kitchen and grab my potions kit from the upper left cabinet!" ordered Andromeda as her healer training kicked it. Determining that Frank was the more immediate risk, she quickly removed what remained of his right pant leg and took a closer look at the limb. The damage was severe, but thanks to Frank's quick thinking, he hadn't bleed out yet. Taking the potions kit offered by Alice, she quickly uncorked a blood replenisher and forced it down Frank's throat. "Give one to Siri as well," she intoned as she began muttering healing spells while waving her wand over the stump of Frank's leg. After about five minutes, the bleeding had almost stopped and she relaxed.

"Siri, are you awake?" she questioned as she carefully wrapped Frank's leg in a thick swash of bandages.

"I'm awake," groaned Sirius, "though I think I wish I weren't…"

Andromeda laughed a little. If he was still joking she knew he would be okay. She turned to find Alice had transfigured the couch into a hospital style bed and moved Sirius to it. Sirius was lying on his back, mocking Alice's nursing skills she pressed down on a bandage on his shoulder.

"Thank you Alice. Where are the boys?" she suddenly asked, realizing the two toddlers had been left unsupervised.

"I transfigured the table into a play pen… I hope you don't mind"

"No, not at all."

"Is Frank okay?" Alice questioned, her fear evident in her voice.

"He will live. He lost his right leg just above the knee; there was nothing I could do. I'm sorry."

Alice nodded, tears in her eyes. "As long as he is alive."

"You can move him to the guest bed. It's the first room down the hall on the right. Just cast a perfectus first so his injuries aren't jostled."

Alice merely nodded again and levitated Frank down the hall. As soon as she was out of sight, Sirius groaned, his features screwing up into pain. Andromeda took another look at him and noticed he was lying unusually still and his complexion was even paler that normal.

"Siri, what's wrong. I can tell it is more than a little cut across your shoulder."

"Little!" cried Sirius indignantly, "It's quite deep," he retorted as he tried moving, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Siri. We both know you are lying, what is wrong?" She asked again as she began casting diagnostic scans on him.

"Andy," he cried, tears rolling down his cheeks, "I can't feel my legs… a curse…"

Andy paused, and reached over to hold his hand. His grip was weak, and she could see it bothered him. "What curse," she inquired, although she already feared the worst.

"Bellatrix's," he replied barely above a whisper. "Tenebris Opstupefio."

Andy gaped. She remembered when Bellatrix had found that curse and practiced it when they were younger. Bellatrix had spent all summer perfecting it by practicing on small animals. Even then, when she had not been at full strength, the curse had left the victim entirely paralyzed, in more pain than the cruciatis. "But…" she trailed off. Sirius didn't need to hear the rest.

"I think I managed to kill her before it was totally cast." He moaned again, sweat breaking out across his face.

"Is it getting worse? Better? The same?"

"Can't tell. Hurts to much" he muttered.

Andromeda sighed. "Okay," she pulled out a strong pain potion. "Drink this and let me at least heal your shoulder. The pain potion will last a few hours then we can let it wear off and see if anything has changed."

Sirius merely nodded as he let the potion ease him into unconsciousness.


	3. Recuperation at the Tonks

**1-4 Nov 2001**

When Sirius awoke, it was to a general feeling of un-comfortableness that was quickly transitioning to pain. Using his arms, he tried to sit up, only to fail as his body exploded into more pain. "Uuuuggggghhhhh," he managed as the world moved into focus.

"Good evening Siri," Andromeda spoke quietly. "How are you feeling?"

"Lousy," muttered Sirius. "It's quiet…"

"Yes. Alice is in my room with Frank. I think he awoke about an hour ago. I reassured him that everyone was alive, gave him a nice, strong pain potion, and he went back to sleep. I contacted Ted at work and told him to pick up Nymphadora and take her to the park or something. The boys are sleeping quietly for now."

"Even Harry?"

Andromeda laughed. " He might have had the help of a mild toddler's sleeping potion."

"Running you dry are we?" Sirius cracked with a small smile as his fists clenched in pain.

"Oh, I am a healer with a highly clumsy daughter. I'll have you know that my stocks are quite deep. And I can also grab some more from St. Mungos." Seeing the look of panic on Sirius' face she quickly reassured "I take potions all the time. Nobody will notice if I simply take stronger pain potions that normal. Speaking of which, the potion I gave you earlier should have worn off by now. How do you feel?"

"Still hurts like a bitch. But maybe a bit better."

"Good. Let me test your reactions real quick then I can drug you up and let you sleep some more."

"Okay"

Quickly, Andromeda tested Sirius's grip strength, asked him to try to move his toes, and tested where he had sensation. She marked everything down then quickly dosed Sirius with another potion before he could ask her what it meant. She didn't know. She only hoped that the fact the Sirius wasn't entirely paralyzed meant he might get better. She could hope, even if the chances were slim.

The next time Sirius awoke was to the sounds of giggling. With only a slight groan of pain he managed to maneuver himself into a little bit more of a sitting position, only to be attacked by an exuberant pinked-haired eight year old.

"Cousin Siri!" shouted Nymphadora in glee. "I knew you weren't bad! Everyone thinks so, but they don't know you like I do. I just knew that you could never ever be evil! Mummy said you were hurt, but you don't look hurt. Are you okay? Do you need any potions? Mummy always gives me lots of foul tasting potions when I am hurt…"

"Whoa there Dora," interrupted Sirius, "I'm glad you believed in me. That means a lot." He shifted uncomfortably, trying to deal with the added weight of the eight year old. "And yah, your mum is feeding me plenty of potions." With a slight grimace, he reached his arm around Dora bringing her into a full hug as Andromeda walked into the room.

"Okay Nymphadora," chided Andromeda gently.

"Don't call me Nymphadora!" interrupted Dora.

"Fine, Dora. Why don't you take Harry and Neville into the kitchen and feed them a snack. I need a few minutes alone with Cousin Siri here."

"Okay," humped Dora as she lead the two toddlers into the kitchen with promises of food.

"And how do you feel this morning?" questioned Andromeda.

"Better, I think. The pain isn't as bad," replied Sirius as he gingerly tried to readjust himself.

"That's good. I want to wait a few more minutes before giving you any more pain potion so I can take some measurements again. But first, do you need the loo?"

Sirius blushed slightly at her question.

"Sirius, no need to be embarrassed. I am a healer and deal with this sort of stuff all the time. I can help you to the loo if you feel up to it."

"I know you do this all the time Andy. Its not that, its…" Sirius trailed off, blushing more.

"Its what?"

Sirius gulped awkwardly. "Its just that… I don't know if I need to… you know… use the facilities. I can't feel anything…" Sirius felt his face redden considerably as he wished he could just disappear.

"Oh."

"Yah."

"Its okay. I'll just use a spell." Seeing the look on his face, she elaborated. "It's nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed at. We use it all the time on patients in comas or who can't get up or move for some reason. It's just… not a viable long term solution."

Sirius nodded, still wishing he could just disappear as Andromeda muttered a spell. "There, all done" she pronounced.

"That's it?" questioned Sirius, confused by the lack anything appearing to happen.

"Yes. Like I said, it is not a long-term solution. If we need one I suppose we shall have to look into what muggles do in situations like this. Now, let me check your reflexes and such and then I can give you another pain potion."

* * *

Frank felt the presence of his wife's arms wrapped around his body and the warmth of the covers. Wrapping his hand around one of hers he felt her other arm snake its way onto his chest, massage the area around his nipples. He moaned a little in pleasure at the feeling of her presence.

"Good morning husband of mine," she whispered into his ear, and then slid free of him and out of the bed.

"Don't leave," He responded.

"Sorry love. Healer's orders. I am supposed to alert Andy when you awoke."

At the mention of Andy, Frank opened his eyes to find himself in an unfamiliar room. Rolling over, he suddenly gave out a cry of pain as his right leg throbbed loudly. Moving his hand down to the source of pain he felt the presence of bandages, then… nothing. Panicking, he sat up suddenly as Alice turned to him concern evident on her face.

"My leg," he muttered.

"Shush, remember what Andy said yesterday? You lost your leg in the attack. Bellatrix hit it, there was nothing Andy could do."

Frank nodded, the events of the last couple days coming back to him. Seeing her husband relax, Alice left the room to grab Andromeda.

"How are you feeling, Frank?" questioned Andromeda as she pulled out her wand and began muttering a spell.

"Okay, I guess."

"Any pain?"

"Only when I move my leg quickly, or put to much pressure on it."

"That's good. Now just relax. I am going to remove the bandages and take a look. Hopefully it should be healed up enough to let you out of bed and into a shower."

"Sounds good," replied Frank as Andromeda's hands carefully unwound the layers of gauze and fabric surrounding his newly shortened leg. As she removed the last layer of gauze, Frank couldn't help but look down. The leg looked surprisingly good for only two days having passed. The skin at the end was smooth and pink, and there was no more bleeding. "Looks good. It is healing nicely. Would you like a shower?"

"That sounds appealing. How do I…"

Before he finished asking Alice had picked up a pair of aluminum crutches. With Andy's help, he carefully swung his leg over the edge of the bed and stood. As he inched across the room, Andy followed behind, ready to catch him.

"Okay. Alice can help you shower and I will make some lunch. If you feel up to it, you can come eat in the dinning room, but if not, that is okay. Just have Alice let me know and I can bring you lunch in here."

Frank nodded, limping his way into the bathroom, Alice close behind.

About forty-five minutes later, a freshly washed Frank slowly made his way down the hall into the kitchen, where he found Andromeda, Ted, Dora, and the two boys already sitting at the table.

"Where is Sirius?"

"Sleeping in the living room. I will bring him some food later."

Frank nodded, but could tell there was something Andromeda was hiding. The only physical injury Frank saw on Sirius was the cut to his shoulder. That wouldn't cause problems over two days later and something was clearly worrying Andromeda. Setting the worry aside, Frank started on the soup in front of him, quickly realizing he was quite hungry.

When he finished, an eager Neville cried until he was taken out of his high chair and placed on Frank's lap.

"Hey buddy," Frank cooed. "How is my big boy?"

"Dada! I play wi' Hawwy!"

"You did, did you?"

Neville nodded eagerly, "funny fa'es!"

Laughing, Alice clarified, "He means Dora entertained him and Harry by morphing her face. She is quite good at it."

Dora beamed, and immediately began cycling through different hair colors, eye colors, and even a few different noses.

"That she is," Frank replied as he let the sounds of the children's laughter sooth him. They were all safe and that was what mattered.

* * *

On the third day after the attack Sirius woke to find a small pile of boy curled up against his side. Carefully shifting onto his, although tiring, didn't prove to be too painful, a reassuring thing in Sirius' opinion. Upon making it to his right side, he realized the small pile of boy was, in fact, his godson curled up on his side. Sirius smiled and ran his fingers through Harry's messy hair. As a consequence of all the pain potions he had been taking the last few days, he had hardly been up or seen his godson since the deaths of James and Lily. Wrapping his hand around Harry, he began rubbing the boy's back, enjoying the feeling of his godson.

Andromeda entered the room to find Sirius awake and alert, seemingly not in pain. Smiling to herself, she hoped that the pain was truly gone. Her scans indicated he would never regain the use of his legs, but lack of pain would be lucky enough, considering the spell he was hit by.

"Good Morning sleepyhead. I see you have finally rejoined the land of the living. How are you feeling?"

"Pretty good, actually," replied Sirius with a smile. "The pain is mostly gone, and I am enjoying the company of my godson."

"Ah, yes. This morning he decided that he could go no longer without a cuddle from you and would not relax until I let him lie down with you. Since his presence couldn't really hurt you, I figured it was alright."

"Thanks. How is Frank?"

"He is doing well considering. He was up and about yesterday, even ate lunch with us, unlike a certain cousin I have. You must be hungry."

"Starving," smirked Sirius. Then turning more somber, "he lost his leg didn't he?"

Andromeda nodded sadly. Sirius really didn't need to hear more bad news right now. Neither did Frank for that matter, which was why she had not told him about Sirius' condition yesterday. "There was nothing I could do. Now, let me make you something to eat. What would you prefer?"

"Some eggs and toast would be lovely."

"Tea?"

"Black, one sugar."

"Give me a few minutes to make it, then I'll come back and we shall try to get you sitting up. I'm sure you could do with a change in the view."

"Well, now that you mention it, the ceiling is a little plain. I have been meaning to file a complaint."

Giving Sirius a light swat on the head, Andromeda turned and left.

A few hours later, after a meal and another nap, Sirius grew antsy. He was not one who usually sat about doing nothing, and after three days of it, even if he was mostly asleep, he was growing bored. He wanted up. He also wanted a shower. A good old hospital style scourgify might keep one technically clean, but it really wasn't the same as a nice hot shower or bath. But, currently, he was stuck on the couch with only a book and a cup of tea as company. He had hoped Frank or Alice would have joined him, but apparently Alice was at a muggle toy store buying a few necessities for the boys, and Frank, after having been up and about most of the morning (not that Sirius had seen him) was sleeping again. He was bored. Grabbing the book of the table, he sighed. _A Tale of Two Cities_ was it. At least it was something he hadn't read before. Something muggle he thought.

Just as he had settled into the surprisingly good book, the floo came alive. Sirius, on instinct, reached for his wand, only to find it out of his reach. "Dammit," he thought as he attempted to pull himself into at least a sitting position. He reached for his wand again, but it was still out of reach (next time someone else was in the room he would have to fix that) as Andromeda stepped out of the floo.

"Dammit Andy!" Sirius grumbled. "You left my wand out of reach! And me, lying here, helpless! You can't do that!"

Realizing Sirius was panicking, Andromeda quickly stepped over to him, wrapping her arms around him. "Shh, its alright Siri, you are okay. The floo is password protected. Nobody who wants to hurt you can get in. But I'll give you your wand anyways. I just didn't Nymphadora or one of the boys playing with it. Are you okay?"

Sirius nodded, his face buried in Andy's shoulder. "Dammit Andy, I was an Auror, and now I am laying here, helpless. Even Dora could take me down at this point." Tears were flowing down his checks as held in sobs.

"Its okay Siri. Its okay. We will get you better, you won't be hopeless. Everything will be okay. It just takes time." Holding her cousin tightly in her arms, Andy just sat on the bed, letting Sirius cry. Letting him cry for his lost friends, for the pain, the uncertainty, for the knowledge that nothing would ever be the same.

Frank was just about to enter the living room when he heard Sirius crying. He paused, knowing that Sirius didn't like other people to know when he was hurting. He was about to head back towards the guest room when he heard Sirius say something to Andromeda.

"How can I raise Harry when I can't even walk?"

Frank paused. "Can't even walk?" he thought. As far as he was aware, Sirius had only really been hit by a diffindio in the shoulder. Although, now that he though about it, he hadn't seen Sirius since the attack and he had been sleeping during lunch yesterday. Not normal behavior for Sirius. Leaning against the wall, Frank thought about what he knew and grew concerned. Here he was, standing and moving about just three days after his leg was blown off. If Sirius couldn't even walk, what was he hit by? Deciding that simply standing here thinking about it would only make him more anxious, Frank slowly made his way down the hall.

When he reached the door to the living room, he saw Sirius sitting in what appeared to be a transfigured bed, head buried in Andromeda's shoulder. He was no longer crying, but appeared in no hurry to move from his position. Clearing his throat loudly to catch Andromeda and Sirius' attention, Frank made his way into the living room.

"Hello Frank," greeted Andromeda as she summoned a few pillows.

"Hello Andromeda, Sirius. Mind if I sit?"

"Not at all," replied Andromeda, and she placed the summoned pillows behind Sirius back. Gingerly, she helped Sirius lean back against the pillows. Frank watched carefully and noticed the lines of pain that spread across his friend's face as he leaned back.

"How are you feeling?" asked Sirius, his voice somber, the only evidence left of his emotional breakdown.

"Surprisingly good. Andromeda here is a great healer."

"Call me Andy," she smiled, "Anyone who bleeds out more than a pint of blood on my floor is part of the family."

Sirius barked in laughter. "Guess you have to keep me now!"

"Don't remind me!" she retorted.

"Sorry about that…" muttered Frank.

"Nonsense. Now plop that butt down into that chair and let me grab you boys some lunch. It's nearly three and soon Dora will be back from school. Not to mention Alice will retuen the boys. You two will need your energy." And with that, Andy left the room, leaving the two men to talk.

"So…" began Frank, unsure of wear to start.

"Right…" replied Sirius. He looked down at his hands nervously. "Are you really alright?"

"Yah. I mean I'd prefer to have both of my natural legs, but as long as I keep both eyes I shouldn't look too much like Moody."

Sirius grinned, "Maybe you should try to get a replacement leg that clanks a little less than Moody's. Would help with the whole sneaking up business."

"True, but I think I might go for a cane. I've seen just how often he smacked you with it when you misbehaved."

"Oi! Not fair, that man likes to smack anyone!"

"Fair enough. But enough about Moody. How are you?"

"Fine."

"Sirius, I went to school with you and James for five years. I know when you are lying. So cut it out and tell me what happened. All I remember is getting my leg blown off then you nailing Bellatrix. Feeling the anti-portkey wards fall, I got us out of there. So spill it. Fill me in."

Sirius sighed, and then rubbed his eyes. "She got me with a curse right before I blew here up. A nasty one. I got lucky, I guess, in that I killed her before the curse was completed."

"What is the curse?"

"Tenebris Opstupefio"

"Don't know it."

"Not surprised. It's a real dark one. Black family curse. Even my parents disapproved of it. It paralyzes a person completely and subjects them to pain similar to the cruciatus curse. Since they can't move or speak, Healers try to keep them alive, not knowing that their patient is in excruciating pain. There is no cure."

"Damn."

"Yah. Like I said, she didn't get to truly complete it."

"How bad?"

"I can't move anything from about mid-chest down. The pain started real bad but is going away. It's nearly gone except when I move now. Andy thinks it will be completely gone by the end of the week. Like I said, I guess I got lucky."

Frank sat there in silence. What does one say in response to that? I'm sorry just doesn't really cut it. Instead he just sighed and the two continued to sit there staring at their hands until Andy arrived about five minutes later, bearing sandwiches and pumpkin juice.


	4. A Plan

**4 Nov 2001**

Frank and Sirius were about half way through a game of chess when the door opened and Alice, Ted, Dora, and the boys came tumbling in.

"Cousin Siri! You're awake! I've been so patient waiting for you to get better. Mummy said I couldn't wake you up if you were sleeping but you slept FOREVER! Will you play with me?"

"Calm down Dora," admonished Ted. "Sirius is just feeling better, you need to be gentle with him."

"But I am being gentle," retorted Dora, "I haven't even jumped on him."

Sirius laughed lightly at that. "Come here Dora, and give me a giant hug. I know you have been waiting."

Eagerly, Dora climbed onto the bed, wrapping her arms around Sirius, her hair turning bright red in excitement.

While Dora was busy telling Sirius all about her day at school and the marvelous toy store, Andy entered the room. "Why don't you take the boys to your room and they can show you the toys you bought. Us adults need to have a grownup talk."

"Aw," complained Dora, "But I want to hang out with Sirius."

"I'll be here at dinner. Now go on," Sirius replied as he nudged her off the couch. As soon as she had left the room with Neville and Harry, the rest of the adults conjured chairs and sat down.

"I guess I'll start," said Andy, "today I spoke with a couple of people to try to figure out what to do. I know Alice and Ted have been reading the paper, but I'll explain what is happening anyway." Pulling out the last three days of _The Daily Prophet_ , Andy continued. "As you can see, the Aurors responded to the presence of a Dark Mark over the Longbottom Manner on November 1st. When they arrived, they found Bellatrix, Radabastan, and Rodulphus Lestrange, along with Barty Crouch Jr in full Death Eater regalia lying dead on the floor of the living room. There was evidence of a prolonged fight, and the blood of at least two other wizards, but no indication as to who those two were. Since there has been no sign of the Longbottoms since, they are currently presumed either dead or captured. Supposedly Sirius was present at the scene, as a death eater."

Sirius and Frank looked pale. This was news to them. The worst part was that Sirius' magical signature would be all over the room as he had been casting the majority of their offensive spells. And he had used some darker ones. Not illegal, mind, but certainly not light.

"Now, today I talked to Amelia Bones to see what her opinion was"

Sirius gulped, nervously. Amelia Bones was quite high up in the DMLE.

"Relax Sirius, I gave nothing away. She seemed concerned by a few of the known facts. Such as the fact that, knowing both you and James, she didn't believe you could ever do such a thing. Add that to the fact that while your magical signature was all over the Longbottom Manor, your bike and a set of clothes, recently worn were also there. Indicating that you had been there longer than just the attack. Let's just say she is willing hear another side of the story. Unfortunately, Crouch is still in charge of the department and he wants to look competent. An order has been given for you to be brought straight to Azkaban upon your capture."

Both Frank and Sirius visibly shook at that. Both of them had been to Azkaban to escort prisoners and neither of them had any desire to go there again.

Andy continued, "However, I have a plan for that."

"And that plan is?" Sirius asked, anxious to see how Andy planned on solving this problem.

"I'm getting there. But first there are two other people I met with today. Remus and Aletha." Sirius paled again. "Both are anxious to meet with us. After I told them about the unbreakable vow you made and your true role in the Longbottom attack, they were more than ready to put aside any doubts. And Aletha has news for you, Sirius."

Sirius wasn't sure how he felt about that. Moony was the only other true marauder left, but he had mistakenly though Moony was the spy. How would he apologize for that? And Aletha, had Andy told her what had happened to him? Would she still want him? And what was her news?

"As for the plan. Frank, Alice, and Neville will reappear as alive through Amelia Bones. I will invite her here alone, she is an old friend from Hogwarts, and she will meet you here. You will tell her the truth. You survived the attack on Longbottom Manner, but Frank was seriously injured. Not trusting St. Mungos, you came here, as I am friend and a certified healer. This will happen once Sirius is no longer in the house. Sorry Sirius, but we can't take the risk. Once Frank and Alice have reappeared, Frank will join the task force set to hunt Sirius down. He will, of course not actually help, but misdirect and alert Sirius to any danger. Hopefully Barty Crouch Jr being ousted as a Death Eater will force Crouch Sr to step down as head of the DMLE. Amelia would be next in charge, and she would at least be willing to give Sirius a trial."

Taking in everything Andy had said, Sirius thought for a moment, then asked, "You said once I was gone, where will I be? And Harry?"

Andy nodded. "The muggle world. Nobody will think of that, especially since you are the Heir of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black. Luckily, thanks to Lily and Aletha, you shouldn't have too hard of a time fitting in. Besides, you need to at least go to a muggle doctor. You certainly can't go to St. Mungos and you need more than I can provide."

Sirius nodded solemnly. He, Ted, and Andy had spoken earlier about muggles and spinal injuries. She believed that since his symptoms roughly matched that of a muggle spinal chord injury attending a muggle rehab center would be beneficial.

"When are Remus and Aletha coming over?" question Frank.

"They are arriving in a few minutes and staying for dinner. We can talk with them and see what they think. Alice, would you like to help me with dinner? I am sure Ted can handle the kids."

Ted laughed, getting up from his chair, " I see what you are doing, setting me up to deal with three hyper-active children with a pile of brand new toys. Very well. Sirius, Frank, wish me well." And with that both Ted and Alice left the living room leaving Sirius and Frank alone with the chess set again.

About half an hour later the floo came to life again and Remus stepped through. He looked tired and haggard, and Sirius remembered that the full moon was only a few days ago. It would have been the first full moon since fifth year that none of them had been at his side when he transformed.

Immediately upon seeing Sirius lying on the bed, unnaturally still, as he was also moving about Remus practically ran across the living room. "I'm so sorry Padfoot," he cried.

"Me too," replied Sirius. "For thinking you could have been the spy."

Remus nodded, "I thought it might have been you. I never guessed it would be Peter."

"Me neither. I forgive you."

"I forgive you."

And with that, Remus leaned over and embraced his friend of over a decade in a tight hug, while tears rolled down both of their faces. After a minute or so, Remus and Sirius detached, and Remus noticed for the first time that Frank was also in the room.

"Erm, hello Frank," greeted Remus awkwardly.

"Hello Remus," chuckled Frank, "I understand I come second to Sirius here. He does steal the limelight, doesn't he?"

"He does indeed," agreed Remus.

Hearing Remus had arrived, Andy returned to the living room. "Shall we head to the table? Aletha should be here in a few minutes and I dare say the kids are hungry." She looked pointedly at Sirius for the last remark.

"Yes, Sirius here is definitely a child," agreed Frank, lightening the mood of the room as he slowly rose from his chair, gathering his crutches beneath his arms.

"Um," started Sirius…

Ignoring Sirius, Andy turned to Remus. "Okay strong boy. Siri here, being the lazy arse he is hasn't left this bed for the last three and a half days. Would you like to help me evict his lazy butt?"

Understanding what Andy was trying to do, Remus quickly agreed, summoning a chair with armrests. "Okay mutt," he said turning to Sirius, "arm around my shoulder."

Sirius complied, and Remus wrapped one arm around Sirius' back and the other under his knees. Lifting with only a slight effort, he carefully arranged his friend onto the chair. Removing his arms slowly, he asked, "is your balance alright?"

Hesitantly, Sirius removed his hands from the armrests, only to start listing to the side.

"Right. Sticking charm it is. You haven't moved for days and I dare say you are feeling quite weak. Therefore, as a healer I am sticking you to your chair until you have some food in you and have regained you strength," Andy announced, quickly casting the charm before Sirius had a chance to protest. "To the dining room, then" Andy said as she ushered the two men out of the living room.

Everyone had just settled themselves down at the table when the doorbell rang. Rising jovially, Ted said, "That should be Aletha. I'll grab the door." Returning only a moment later, Ted led a tall, black woman dressed in healer's robes.

"Sirius!" Aletha cried as she launched herself at her boyfriend, "Oh, Sirius, Andy told me everything, I'm so sorry."

Sirius hugged her back as she squeezed tighter. "Uhh," moaned Sirius as Aletha's aggressive hugging pushed all the air out of his longs. Realizing she was squishing him, Aletha sat down and everyone tucked in.

Once all the kids were done eating, Ted led them to Dora's room, where the boys' playpen was set up while the rest of the party discussed the plan.

"So," began Remus, "What do we do about Dumbledore?"

"What do you mean, do with Dumbledore?" questioned Alice.

"He told the prophet Sirius was the secret keeper and sealed the Potter's will, stating reasons of safety. Since he both casted the fidelius charm and witnessed the will, he knows that I was not the secret keeper and that the will is perfectly safe to read," replied Sirius.

"He told me that he needed to find Harry and place him with Petunia because he could create blood wards based off of Lily's sacrifice," added Remus.

"WHAT!" shouted Sirius, "James and Lily both agreed Harry was NOT to live with that bitch!"

"Language, Siri," retorted Andy. "And as for Dumbledore, I propose we leave him in the dark. He seems to want to control Harry. Any ideas why?"

"The prophecy" stated Frank. "It could have applied to either Harry or Neville. Its why we went into hiding."

"Prophecy?" questioned Remus and Andy at the same time.

"Yah" agreed Sirius, "although I don't know what exactly it stated. Frank?"

"Right. It was 'the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies...'"

"Damn," muttered Sirius.

"Yah," agreed Aletha. "So we keep Harry and Sirius away from Dumbledore, hidden in the muggle world. Britain? Or abroad?"

"Britain. I think they should remain close by. Nobody will look for them in the muggle world, so they will be perfectly safe. That way, if the status changes they can easily come back or remain hidden easily."

"Agreed. I like it here. So what now?"

"First things first, I would like to do a thorough medical examination of Harry. I will also go to Gringotts to obtain the necessary paperwork for you to fit into the muggle world. We should also probably change Harry's last name to Black so that someone doesn't find a Harry Potter. Black is a common enough muggle surname that it shouldn't be a problem," Andy explained.

"I know a few squib doctors I can contact to get Sirius the appropriate medical care he needs," added Aletha.

"Sounds like we have a plan," said Remus.

The adults started preparing for bed when Aletha finally gathered the courage to tell Sirius her news. He was lying in his bed in the living room, having taken another pain potion. As Remus flooed home and the rest wandered off, she sat on the corner of the bed, her arm resting on Sirius' side.

"Hey babe, I have some new for you."

"Good news?" asked Sirius, "I'm not sure I can handle any more bad news today."

"I think it is good. Should I tell you?"

"Mhhm."

"Okay, I'm pregnant Sirius. You're going to be a father."

"What?"

"You're gonna be a father. Around June."

"Eep!"

"Sirius, are you okay? Sirius?" Sirius just lay there staring at Aletha. "SIRIUS are you okay?"

Andy came running into the room after hearing Aletha's distress. "What's wrong?"

"I told him I was pregnant and he just kinda… stared."

Andy started laughing. "It's just a little shock, Aletha. I think Ted did the same think when I first told him. Doesn't help that you told him while he was all dosed up on potions. Give him a moment."

A minute later Sirius looked up at Aletha, "A father? Really?"

"Really. Are you…"

"Happy? Excited? Amazed? Oh Merlin! I'm going to be a dad!" And with that, Aletha knew everything was going to be all right.


	5. Coming Home: 3 Months Later

February 12th, 2002

Aletha walked through the house, checking to make sure everything was perfect. Today was the day Sirius came home. To their home. Oh Merlin, she was excited. Making her way into the master bedroom, she opened his closet. The bar was hung low enough for him to reach while sitting down and his clothes were arranged with non-magical attire on one side and robes on the other. Making her way into the bathroom she saw handrail by the toilet, the shower with no lip, shower seat, pedestal sink. Everything looked good. The back porch and living room had ramps covering the staircases, the front as well. The doorways were all wide enough, although a simple charm could always fix that. She was ready.

Entering the living room, she saw Remus playing with Harry on the floor. They both looked so happy. She was truly glad Remus had agreed to live in the upstairs guest room at least while Sirius was in the hospital. She couldn't imagine what she would have done without him. She might have known Harry before November of last year, but only a little bit. Harry would have been so uncomfortable without the calming presence of Remus. Harry looked up at her and smiled.

"Hi 'letha," he said "Pa'foo come home today?"

"Yes sweetie, Padfoot is coming home today. Would you like to come get him with me?"

Harry nodded eagerly, "Yes!"

"Okay, lets get your shoes and jacket on, shall we?"

Harry quickly got up and ran towards the door where his shoes and jacket were. Remus smiled and said, "I'll clean up the living room. The Tonks and Longbottoms will be here around four. That should give you about an hour to get settled before the party starts."

"Thank you again Remus. You have been amazing. And remember, the guest bedroom is always open. I know Sirius will say the same, so no arguing."

Remus laughed, "Duly noted. Now off with you. You have a dog to fetch."

With a smile, Aletha helped Harry put his shoes and jacket on and headed out the door to the car. As she was buckling Harry into his car seat, Emma Granger, the next-door neighbor greeted her.

"Today is the day, isn't it?" questioned Emma.

"Yup!" replied Aletha cheerfully, "Harry and I are just off to pick him up from the hospital." I hope he likes the house…"

"Oh, I am sure he will love it. More importantly I am sure he will be happy to see you and Harry again."

Aletha smiled fondly. Their story for the neighbors was that Sirius was a policeman and had been shot in a raid, paralyzing him. Harry was his godson, adopted shortly after the death of Harry's parents and Sirius' best friends by the hand of a murderer. It was close enough to the truth that they thought they could remember the story easily and have people believe them, but safe for muggle ears. Aletha finished buckling in Harry and turned back to Emma. "And I am happy to have him back with me. Well, I best be off. I am sure he is already driving the nurses crazy."

"Good luck!" responded Emma as she headed inside her house.

"Well, this is it Harry," Aletha thought as she pulled the car out of the driveway.

Sirius was growing antsy. He checked the clock. 12pm. Right. Aletha said she would be there at 1pm. He sighed; he was so ready to be out of here! He had woken up at 6am, an absolutely ungodly hour for him (he preferred sleeping in until at least noon), gotten showered and dressed (still a painfully long process), eaten, signed his discharge papers, and was now stuck waiting. Staring at a clock. 12:02. Great. 1pm was never going to come. He began wheeling himself in circles, first left, then right. Pop a wheelie, switch directions. More circles. Pop a wheelie, switch directions. He sighed again. 12:10. 50 minutes to go.

Deciding that he talking to people might pass the time faster, Sirius wheeled himself out into the hall, towards the rec room. Passing by the nurses' station, he stopped to flirt (shamelessly, and they all knew about Aletha and Harry), then continued down the hall. 12:20. Great. The rec room was empty. It was lunchtime. He was eating with Aletha. He picked up a deck of cards. Played some solitaire. 12:40. 20 minutes left! Sighing again, he left the room and wheeled himself down the hall back to his room. He checked to make sure everything was packed. It was. 12:50. 10 minutes left! He was going crazy.

Just as Sirius though he was going to lose it from boredom, he caught sight of Aletha and Harry coming down the hallway. Swinging his bag onto the back of his chair, he rolled himself into the hallway as Harry came running forward.

"Harry!" he exclaimed in joy as he grabbed his godson and swung him onto his lap.

"Hi Pa'foo! We goin' home!"

"I know pup. I'm excited. We are going to have so much fun!"

"Play wif' twains?" questioned Harry.

"Sure, we can play with trains all day long." Sirius smiled at his godson and was rewarded by a giant hug around the neck. Aletha, smiling at him, leaned over and hugged him as well, bringing him in for a kiss. He obliged, and then laid his hand on her belly as she straightened up. "How's Elfindork doing?" he enquired, a stupid grin across his face.

"The baby is doing fine. And I repeat, we are NOT naming him Elfindork, no matter what you and James decided."

Putting on his best pouty face Sirius begged "please? Not even to hour a friend?"

Ruffling his hair, she sighed. "Be serious. I am not naming any child of mine Elfindork."

"I am Sirius!" replied Sirius as the discharge nurse walked over.

"You would think by now I would have learned not to say that," moaned Aletha to the nurse.

"Maybe, but you think he also might have grown out of it," replied the nurse.

"Nope. I'm not sure he has grown out of anything."

"Hey!" yelled Sirius, "I'm right here and can here you!"

"So?" chuckled Aletha.

After talking to the nurse for a few minutes to go over all the reminders, Sirius, Aletha, and Harry made their way out to the car. While Aletha strapped Harry into his seat, Sirius rolled over to the passenger side. Locking his brakes, he carefully transferred himself into the passenger seat, and then dismantled the wheelchair, throwing it into the backseat.

"You pretty good at that"

"I practiced. Wanted to impress my lady the first chance I got. Although it will be easier once I charm the chair to be light as a feather and shrinkable… You know you didn't have to confiscate my wand."

Aletha laughed. "Like you could have made it five minutes with your wand without breaking the statute of secrecy."

Sirius sputtered, then decided on simply pouting. "Humph."

As the house dew closer, Sirius grew more and more nervous. How was he supposed to raise Harry, and his new baby, as a muggle? He might not believe in all the pureblood supremacist crap his parents spouted, but he was raised that way. He had never even set foot in the muggle world until he was 16 and living at James'. Staring out the window, he watched the countryside roll past. As they turned into the town center, he smiled, relaxing slightly. Aletha was right; the town really was lovely. Knowing they were only a few minutes from home, he grew excited once again at the prospect of seeing their house.

Pulling into the drive, Aletha parked the car. "We're here."

"Right," whispered Sirius.

"Nervous?"

Sirius smiled, "yah, a little bit. I mean, I've never even lived as a muggle before and here we are."

"A normal couple?"

"Well…"

Aletha laughed. "Take your time babe," she responded as she leaned over to kiss him. "We have all the time in the world."

"Hmm… I missed doing this everyday."

She kissed him again, "Me too. Now I'll bring Harry inside. The Tonks and Longbottoms should be over in about an hour. Oh, and I think the neighbors will want to come over and introduce themselves."

"Neighbors?"

"Yes dear, we have those. Nice couple, maybe in their early thirties. They have a daughter who is a little older than Harry."

"Oh. Okay, I'll be right in."

Sirius sat in the passenger seat for a few moments as Aletha brought Harry inside. Gathering himself up, he thought "right, here it goes." Taking his chair out of the back seat he assembled it, transferred, and rolled up the drive. There was a small ramp leading to the front door, which Aletha had left open. Slowly, he entered the house and looked around.

The living room was fairly good sized, with a black leather couch and two chairs. In the corner, there was a new television and a toy box, slightly overflowing with train tracks. Sirius smiled, his godson had discovered a love of trains, and all the adults had fought over whom got to buy him his next set. Continuing through the living room, he entered the kitchen, which was done up modernly, with blues, greens, and grays. The light streaming in from the window made the room far more welcoming than his childhood home had ever been. Smiling in approval, he turned down the hall. There were three bedrooms, two on the left and one on the right. Sticking his head in the first door on the left, he saw Aletha and Harry in what appeared to be Harry's room. Aletha was busy changing Harry's nappy, so Sirius continued down the hall. The next was a nursery, set up with a plain white crib and dresser. The walls were a nice, light green. As Sirius looked at the room, an even bigger grin spread across his face. This was where his new baby would sleep. Retreating out of the room, Sirius entered the last room across the hall. This room was clearly the master bedroom, with a large four-poster bed in the center and built in drawers along one of the walls. Another wall was entirely made of glass, with access to a small patio and a gorgeous view. Turning towards the last side of the room he saw the closet, already full of his and Aletha's clothes and a door to the en suite bathroom. Moving into the bathroom, Sirius could see that Aletha had truly thought through everything. All the modifications the doctor had told them were necessary were there, but some how they didn't seem intrusive, and almost blended into the clean tiling and glass shower.

As Sirius reentered the bedroom, Aletha joined him.

"So what do you think?" She enquired.

"It's lovely. You've done such a good job."

Aletha smiled and readjusted Harry in her arms. "Right, so we have the three bedrooms down here. The kids each ahve their own room. On the other side of the house, off the living room there is the entryway, and an office for us adults. Upstairs is a guest bedroom with en suite, which Remus is currently using and another living space." She smiled mischievously, "I think I will make that the girl's space."

"Where's my man space?"

"Well, if your old apartment is any indication, the rest of the house will soon fall to your manly lack of style."

"Lack of style! Outrage! I have impeccable style!"

"Sure. If you call mismatched flatware, furniture, and piles of CDs as style…"

"I was saving money…" Sirius murmured as Aletha started laughing.

"Sure. Now to the living room! We have a party to throw."

Frank sat at his desk, twirling a quill between his fingers. He was bored. He should have been tracing down a lead that placed Sirius somewhere near Dover, but it was hard to motivate himself to do so when he knew, that in reality, Sirius was probably in the car with Aletha on his way home to their new home in Bath. He twirled his quill some more and glanced at the clock. 2:30. Right, an hour and half before he was due at the Blacks. He had already taken a nice long lunch break, so what could he do to pass the time…

"Longbottom!" Shouted Mad-Eye from across the bullpen.

"Yes Auror Moody?" shouted Frank in response. He probably should have simply walked over to Moody's office, but the was more fun.

"Get your lazy ass in here!"

Sighing, Frank grabbed his cane and stood. He didn't really need it anymore, as his new leg worked quite well, but he found it to be quite useful. People tended to either underestimate him because of it or cower in fear thinking he would use like Moody. Walking across the bullpen, he let his mind wander. "Wonder what Moody wants, hopefully nothing that will keep me late." Reaching Moody's office, Frank stuck his head in. "What do you need?"

"Come. Sit. Close the door," Mad-Eye muttered as he began casting privacy wards around the office.

Frank gulped. Anything that had Mad-Eye casting even more privacy wards with worrisome.

Seeing Frank gulp, Mad-Eye smirked. "Frightening you am I?"

"No," Frank fibbed, "I just know anything needing extra privacy wards is serious. I have something planned for four and would like to be out of here on time."

"Serious indeed. I'll be straight here. I know you know where Sirius Black is."

Frank paled.

"Now, I don't want you telling me where he is, I just want to know a few things."

At that, Frank baulked. Didn't want to know? But Black was their number one at large.

"Let me tell you what I know, and you can fill in the details." Frank nodded. "Right. So you are on the force tasked with capturing Black. Whose list of crimes includes participating in the attack that blasted your leg off. Yet you merely put around, appearing to do work without actually helping. Which means Black didn't attack you."

Frank nodded again, in disbelief.

"But, forensics definitely places him in Longbottom Manor during the attack. So if he didn't attack you, he helped you. Add to that the fact that you supposedly portkeyed away to Andromeda Tonks', a woman you were not known to be friends with, him helping- making the battle two against four- makes a lot more sense."

"You don't think I could have survived all five?"

"Humph. Against the Lestranges? No. None of us could. And certainly not them plus Sirius. He was a damn good Auror."

"He killed Rodulphus before I arrived. Held them off so Alice could run."

"With Harry too?"

"Yes. He also took down Bellatrix. I'm not sure which of us took down Crouch or Ratabastan."

"Did he survive the attack?"

Frank nodded.

"How bad?"

"What do you mean?"

"How bad was he hurt? You were at the Tonks' for a week. Having lost a leg before," he grinned manically, "I know you would have been up and about after three days at the most. Since you let the world think you, Alice and Neville were dead for a week, I assume it is because Sirius was still there. Injured."

Frank sat there for a moment. Damn, Moody was perceptive. "It was, is bad. Bellatrix caught him with a dark curse. He won't recover completely."

Moody nodded solemnly. "Damn. He was good. Can he fight?"

"Why?"

"You and me might know he isn't dark, but the idiots in charge still do. They will continue to hunt them. He has the boy-who-lived. Can he protect himself and Harry?"

Frank thought for a moment. "I would say no, but knowing Sirius he will find a way. It won't stop him."

"Good. Who really betrayed the Potters?"

"Peter Pettigrew."

Moody's eyebrows rose.

"And Dumbledore knows."

Moody's fist slammed the table in rage as a string of profanity exited his mouth. "Bloody hell! Man proclaims himself leader of the light! Why?"

"He wants to control Harry."

"Why? Wait, don't tell me. Whatever it is I'm sure you don't want everyone knowing."

Frank nodded yet again.

"So you, your wife, and the Tonks know. Who else?"

"Aletha."

"That why she left Britain?"

Frank didn't correct him.

"Nice one. Told people she couldn't live with the weight of his betrayal on her. Wanted a fresh start."

"Any other allies?"

"Amelia Bones suspects there is more to the Sirius case than meets the eye. But she is trapped."

"Damn Crouch and Bagnold. Too bad you didn't leave Jr alive. Could have draw that out and disgraced him enough to step down. Oh well, one less scumbag to deal with. Anyway, guess you should keep doing what you are doing. If you know where Sirius is, or are in communication with him, don't tell me. If I don't know, I can't tell anyone. Just… let him know I know the truth."

Frank relaxed considerably. "Getting soft in your old age?"

"Damn you Longbottom! Out! Go to whatever's got you excited. I'll cover if anyone questions!" Mad-Eye snarled as he wacked Frank with his cane. Frank brandished his own cane menacingly and smirked. "Same reason I still carry mine," Mad-Eye admitted with a grin.

Frank watched as Alice dressed Neville up in his jacket and shoes. The kid was getting so big. With a smile he turned towards Alice and asked, "You ready?"

"Yup, let me just grab the chicken. Andy is bringing sides and Aletha says Remus is covering dessert." Grabbing a bag from the table next to her she grabbed Neville's arm. "Chicken or Child?" she questioned with a laugh. Frank though for a moment that hoisted Neville onto his shoulder.

"Shall we?"

Alice beamed. "Padfoot's Palace!" She cried as she tossed in the floo powder and stepped through, Frank and Neville right behind.

Frank stumbled slightly as he exited the fireplace. The extra weight of Neville put him a bit off balance with his leg. Setting down Neville, Frank brushed off a bit of soot and looked around. The place was nice he noted, clean and simple. Walking towards the sound of chatting, he entered the living room to find everyone already there.

"Frank!" shouted Sirius from the couch where we was busy listening to Dora talk about her day. "It's good to see you! Come here!"

Frank walked over, only to be ambushed by Dora as she hopped off the couch to hug him. "Uncle Frank!" She shouted, her hair turning bright pink. "Sirius is home!"

"He is indeed, Dora. How are you, Sirius?"

"Pretty good, all things considering. I am just happy to be with Harry and Aletha again."

"I see Aletha is starting to show. Soon there will be another baby to take care of. Waking up at night, endless nappies…" Frank trailed off as he saw Sirius' face fill with fear. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it."

Sirius groaned, "not more nappies!"

Remus joined the two, handing out bottles of butterbeer. "Aletha is taking the girls on a tour of the house if you want to join, Frank."

"Nah, I'll see it some other time. However, you said something about an awesome deck and yard. I'd be all for seeing that."

Sirius grinned wildly. "It's awesome! I think I want to put one of those muggle climby things out there for the kids."

"A play set?" questioned Remus, "there certainly is plenty of room."

"Yah, one of those. Come on, let's check it out," begged Sirius. Frank and Remus nodded, happy to see Sirius was doing okay. As Frank stood up, Remus walked over to the corner of the room and grabbed Sirius' wheelchair. Carefully, Sirius transferred himself while Frank watch curiously. He seemed quite adept, although it was odd to see the rambunctious young man sitting all the time. As Sirius began wheeling himself towards the back door, Remus laughed.

"I see you have taken advantage of magic to modify a few things?" Remus questioned gazing pointedly at the wheels.

"Oh, yah. Flames are cool. And now it's Gryffindor red!"

Frank smiled, happy to see Sirius being as mischievous as usual.


	6. Settling Down

**3 March 2002**

Sirius was sitting on the floor of the living room with Harry. Trains and dinosaurs were scattered all around as Harry giggled happily. Watching Harry play he realized he viewed Harry as his son just as much as his godson at this point. He remembered vividly when, only last week, Harry had addressed Aletha as mama. Initially, he had been concerned. He didn't want him and Aletha to replace James and Lily as Harry's parents, but after a nice long talk from Remus and Andromeda- including many instances where they called his a stupid mutt- he realized they weren't replacing Harry's parents, just giving him another set. It was what James and Lily wanted when they named Sirius godfather. Looking at his watch, Sirius turned to his godson.

"Hey pup, ready for a nap?"

"No nap," replied Harry as he attacked a train with a t-rex.

"Come on," begged Sirius, "you need to take a nap. Mummy will be mad if you don't." It was nearly three o'clock, and he needed to have Harry down before Aletha returned from class. She was taking a couple muggle health courses to gain her certification as a pediatrician. He knew how much it meant to her, but it left him alone to take care of Harry. Which, he didn't mind- not at all- he was just so new at it. Sighing, he grabbed the wheel of his chair and pulled it closer. "Come on pup. Let's go take a nap."

"NO!" screamed Harry, turning his back to Sirius.

"Guess we are doing this the hard way," bemoaned Sirius as he pulled himself into the wheelchair. Situating himself, he spoke again. "Harry. It is naptime. Do want to walk to you room? Or do you want me to carry you?" Whenever Aletha gave him a choice it seemed to work.

"Carry."

Wow. Easy. Sirius scooped up Harry, settling him on his lap. "Okay, here we go," he said as he made is way towards Harry's room. He checked Harry's nappy. Great, he needed a change. Opening the dresser drawer, Sirius grabbed a fresh nappy, wipes, and soft pajamas. "Come on Harry. Let's get this done." Laying Harry down on the changing table he quickly got him into fresh clothes. "I just hope I can get you potty trained before Aletha has the baby!" He thought as he turned out the light, leaving the door cracked. With the monitoring charm he had set, he would know if Harry called out or cried.

Moving into the kitchen, Sirius grabbed a coke from the fridge. One thing muggles sure had the wizarding world beat on was soda. It was amazing. Cracking open the can he wheeled into the living room and looked down at the floor. Half the living room was covered in Harry's trains, dinosaurs and more. He needed to clean all this up before Aletha came home. Pulling out his wand, we muttered a useful spell he had recently learned from Andy. Instantly, all the toys zoomed across the room and into the toy chest. He would have to thank her for that one again. It sure beat picking up each individual item.

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. Curious, Sirius slid his wand into the holster on his arm and approached the door.

"Who is it?" called Sirius.

"It's Emma, Emma Granger from next door."

"Oh, come in," he replied as he opened the door. Motioning to the living room he asked, "What can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if Aletha was around? I was hoping to talk to her."

"She's at class right now, but should be back in about ten minutes. How are you?" After a month living in the muggle world, Sirius was finally comfortable enough to engage in small talk without worrying about new terms such as computers and satellites.

Emma sat down on the couch relaxing slightly. "Oh, I'm not bad. Hermione quite enjoyed playing with Harry last week. I think she was simply excited to find someone so eager to learn from and listen to her."

Sirius smiled. Hermione and Harry had spent the entire morning drawing with crayons and Harry had happily listened as she told him about all the different colors. "Yes, she was quite patient with him. After all, he is nearly a year younger than her."

"True, but they will be in school together, as she was born in mid September. Is he going to start nursery next year?"

"Hopefully," Sirius smiled. "With another one on the way and Aletha looking to work at least part time I hope he will be old enough to attend."

"Do you know if you are having a boy or a girl?"

"No. We want it to be a surprise, though Aletha believes it will be a girl. We have spent the last month coming up with names for the kid."

"What are you thinking of?"

"I like Carina or Lyra for a girl and Nysa, Polaris, or Perseus for a boy."

"I sense a star theme."

Sirius laughed happily, "Yah, my entire family is named that way. I don't really get along with them, but seeing as the kid will be a Black…"

"It seems right," Emma completed. "What does Aletha think?"

"I originally was thinking something more mainstream, but Sirius has swayed me. After all, he is named, quite fittingly, after the dog star," answered Aletha from the doorway.

"He's loyal?" Emma questioned.

Aletha smiled that, "and can easily sleep in the doghouse," she retorted cheekily.

"Not cool!" moaned Sirius, "I've been perfectly good!"

"And for that, you get this," Aletha responded, dropping the latest issue of _Cycle World_ on his lap. Sirius grinned like a kid in a toy story. "Yes, you can admire the bikes. Emma and I will be upstairs in the Pink Room."

As Emma and Aletha reached the top of the staircase, Emma turned to Aletha. "Why do you call it the Pink Room?"

"Because I have convinced Sirius and the guys that the entire room is painted pink with a frilly couch and cushions."

Emma laughed, "and why have you done so?"

"Simple. If I didn't then I wouldn't have anywhere to escape to when they are having 'man time' downstairs in the living room. It's not the stairs that are stopping Sirius. If he wanted to, he would find a way up here," laughed Aletha. (She knew quite well that Sirius could simply apparate to the top of the stairs if he wanted to).

"And Remus hasn't told? Didn't he use the guest bedroom for a couple months while Sirius was in hospital?"

"Oh, Remus would never tell. If he did, I would simply let Sirius know where in the house he keeps his stash of chocolate. Remus is an addict, I'll have you know."

Emma laughed, picturing the bookish man frantically running about the house in search of his chocolate. She was glad Sirius and Aletha had moved in next door. They might be several years younger, but they and their friends were a lot of fun to have around.

"Now what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Oh, right," Emma said, getting her mind back on track. "I wanted to make sure you were okay with watching Hermione next weekend. I know you and Sirius already have Harry and you are almost seven months pregnant…"

Waving her hand to cut Emma off, Aletha reassured, "Oh, it's no problem. Hermione is such a nice girl. And very easy to take care of. Besides, I believe Frank and Alice will be here for at least part of the weekend, so I'll have another set of hands while Frank entertains Sirius."

"Well, thank you so much, I was beginning to worry about what to do with Hermione."

Relaxing on the comfortable sofa, the two women chatted away happily about the joys, and horrors, of toddlers.

**28 March 2002**

Sirius checked his appearance in the mirror once again. He was dressed in a black muggle suit with a white shirt and soft grey tie. Alice had helped him pick it out, stating that it brought out the color of his eyes. His cufflinks, a gift from James for his first muggle date with Aletha over a year ago, were two small dogs. He gazed at them fondly. He loved them, but they reminded him of all he had lost- James, Lily, even Padfoot. Straightening his tie one more time, he turned and wheeled himself into the living room.

Aletha was dressed in a gorgeous red dress, her hair done up beautifully and a gold necklace, a gift from her mother, around her neck. She was standing next to Remus, who was holding an energetic Harry, and explaining everything he needed to do for the night.

"Now, his food is in the fridge, the nappies are in the top drawer of the dresser, and he goes to bed around eight. If you need any help Alice said you can floo, and our neighbors to the right, the Grangers, also have a young daughter and can probably help if you need it."

Sirius smiled at Aletha, "You do realize that just because Remus is a university student it doesn't mean he cannot take care of a toddler. I mean, after all, you leave me alone with Harry for extended periods of time."

"Not helping Sirius," retorted Remus.

"Good point, I'm not sure why I trust you," Aletha answered. Sirius gaffed, "Now come along mutt, we have a date to enjoy."

"Bye Moony!" Sirius shouted as he followed Aletha out the door. There was no way he was going to cut into date time tonight. Hopping into the passenger seat, Sirius slide in a Beatles CD and let the music play as Aletha backed the car out the drive.

"Where to first?" Aletha asked.

"First we shall indulge in a fine meal my dear. At the ByBrook." Sirius had the entire evening planned out. A romantic meal, followed by an artsy movie- Aletha loved them, while he was more of an action flick guy- followed by some stargazing in the park. The only thing wrong was the fact that Aletha had to drive, as he was still learning how to drive with hand controls.

"That sounds lovely," Aletha smiled as they snaked their way along the roads into town. About twenty-five minutes later, Aletha pulled into a parking space outside the restaurant. Walking into the restaurant, she gasped. It was truly gorgeous; Sirius sure was spoiling her tonight.

Hearing Aletha gasp as they entered the restaurant made Sirius' heart skip a beat. "Table for two, under Black," Sirius informed the hostess. He hoped she enjoyed everything tonight as, if all went according to plan, this would be a night they remembered forever. As the hostess led them to their table, Sirius requested a bottle of sparkling cider to start (Aletha is 7 months pregnant). The hostess nodded and removed chair for Sirius.

The first course was delectable thought Sirius. Aletha had gone for a light green salad, while he had opted for light chowder. Looking across the table at his beautiful girlfriend, he had never been happier. As she brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face, he grasped her free hand. "I love you so much."

"And I love you. I am glad we had the opportunity to go out tonight. It has been month since we have had a proper date."

Sirius nodded, "well, hospital stays and toddlers will do that to you. But we have tonight, and I intend to make it a night to remember."

"That sounds lovely."

The two continued to chat quietly while sipping cider and glancing out at the beautiful view. The second course came, and Sirius enjoyed a perfectly cooked steak with risotto while Aletha choose a salmon fillet with mixed vegetables. As the waiter came out with the dessert menu, Sirius waved him away. "I have plans for dessert later," he explained when Aletha looked slightly disappointed. Nodding, Aletha agreed, and the Sirius settled the bill while she ducked into the loo.

Finished with their meal, the two crossed the road and entered an elegant art cinema house, where Sirius bought tickets to a show and a container of popcorn.

"Remember when you took me to see _Men in Black_?" he asked as they made their way to their seats.

"Mhm, you were so amazed by the concept of the movie you immediately asked to see another."

"It was my first ever movie. And one of our first dates."

"Oh gosh, it seems so long ago. You had barely ever set foot in the muggle world before."

"Yah, I had just bought my motorcycle and rented my flat. Mrs. Potter had refused to let me buy one when I was under her roof."

"For good reason! You enchanted it to make it fly!"

He leaned in for a kiss. "Flying motorcycles are the best." Another kiss, and the movie began, preventing Aletha from responding.

Two hours later, the movie had finish and Aletha and Sirius were in the park. Checking to make sure nobody could see him, Sirius pulled out his wand and conjured a picnic blanket to sit on and a giant fuzzy blanket to wrap around themselves. As Aletha slid off her shoes, Sirius transferred himself to the ground. Wrapping his arms around her, he pointed up at the sky. "See that star there?"

"Yes," she replied, pulling him in closer.

"It's the dog star. The one I'm named after." He pointed to another. "There is Lyra, and over there," he pointed again, "is Nysa." He placed a hand on her pregnant belly. "I was thinking of those two as names for our possible child.

Aletha nodded. "I didn't know you actually had paid attention in astronomy class. I thought the only reason you willing went up there was to snog girls."

Sirius blushed, "with most of my family being names after stars and constellations, it was hard not to learn at least a few of them. Also, stargazing was something Regulus and I did as children. When we will got along. It was a form of freedom from the dreariness of Grimauld Place."

Aletha just sat there. She knew sometimes Sirius mentioned his family, especially his brother, but didn't want to talk about them. There might still be some love, but mostly pain. Andromeda aside, of course.

After a few more minutes of stargazing, Sirius pulled his arm from around Aletha and reached into his pocket. "You know, I had an ulterior motive for tonight."

"You did, did you?"

"Yes. Now, I know we already live together and are raising Harry with another one on the way, but, I want to express how much I love you. So, forgive me for not getting down on one knee, but Aletha; you are the love of my life. You have kept me sane these last few months, provided support when I need it and a telling off, even when I don't realize I deserve it. Will you, Aletha Freeman, make an honest man out of this mutt and marry me?"

Aletha gasped as Sirius opened a ring box, displaying a simple, yet highly elegant gold band with a sparkling diamond on it. Reaching her arms around him and drawing him into a hug she half sobbed, half shouted, "yes! Yes, I will be your wife!" As Sirius slid the ring onto her finger, she could feel the magic adjusting it until it was a perfect fit.


	7. The Family Grows

**23 May 2002**

"Sirius!" Shouted Aletha from the kitchen, "Sirius! It's time!"

Gulping, Sirius looked from the book he was reading. "For the baby?"

"Yes, can you?"

"Bring Harry next door, grab the hospital bag and alert Andy?" He interrupted coming into the kitchen.

Aletha nodded, "Right. I'll just"

"Relax and head to the car. I'll be there in a moment."

Aletha nodded, grabbed a bottle of water and headed to the car as Sirius went to the office. Throwing some floo powder into the fireplace he called out "Longbottom Manner!"

A second later Alice's head popped through, "Sirius?"

"Hey Alice. Can you let Andy know it's time for the baby to come? I would, but she is at work."

"Of course," Alice responded, "I'll bring Frank and Neville along later to meet the newest addition to the Black family. Now go take Aletha to the hospital."

"Yes Ma'am!" Sirius replied. He left the office and headed into Harry's room, where the boy was napping. "Hey buddy, wake up." Harry mumbled sleepily as Sirius reached into the crib and placed the boy on his lap. "Mummy is going to have her baby. I'm taking her to the hospital, so I need you to stay with the Grangers. Okay?"

"Hermy?" questioned Harry sleepily.

"Yup, come on pup, let's go." Grabbing a small duffle and swinging it onto the back of his chair as he headed out the door, Sirius headed next door. Knocking on the door, Sirius felt his heart beating rapidly. He was going to have a kid! Today! Just as he began panicking, thinking that maybe Dan and Emma weren't home, the door opened.

"Hey Sirius," greeted Dan. "How are you?"

"Good," he responded. "Could you look after Harry for a little while? Aletha has gone into labor and Remus has classes until five."

"No problem! Here, hand the little guy over." Taking Harry in his arms, Dan waved Sirius away, shooing him towards Aletha who was sitting in the passenger's seat of his car.

Pulling alongside the car, Sirius quickly transferred and dismantled his chair, stashing it in the backseat. Putting the car into gear, Sirius was very thankful Aletha had forced him to get a real, muggle drivers license. He hadn't know muggles could drive using only their hands before, but Aletha had been persistent, insisting that their would be a time where he would need to drive. Per usual, she was right.

Pulling into the drop off circle at the hospital, Sirius parked the car and kissed Aletha. "You head in and I'll park the car. I'll be there in a few minutes." Nodding, Aletha open the door and slowly stood up, her very pregnant belly trying it's best to weigh her back down. As soon as Sirius saw a nurse move to help her, he drove out to park the car.

A few minutes later, a very eager and nervous Sirius entered the hospital and went to the help desk. "Hi, I'm looking for the maternity ward. My fiancée just came in."

"Fourth floor, sir. The elevators are over there in the corner," the nurse replied pointing to the left.

"Thanks," Sirius replied as he turned towards the elevator. Checking to make sure he had the bag of clothes and such, he hit the button for the fourth floor. As the door opened, Sirius saw Aletha stand to follow a nurse. She motioned for him to follow. "You ready?"

"Oh, I am very ready to no longer be pregnant. Are you?"

Sirius grinned. "Yup! I'm ready to meet Elvindork!"

Aletha groaned. "I thought I had finally nailed it into your thick head that I was never naming my child Elvindork!"

"But it's unisex!"

"No." Aletha stated as the nurse motioned for her to lay down on the bed.

* * *

Frank was sitting at his cubicle when Moody shouted across the bullpen. "Frank! Alice wants to talk to you! Come to the floo!"

Frank dropped his papers, more useless leads on the Black case (you would think they would have shut it down by now) and headed over to Moody's office. Slowly kneeling down on his real knee, Frank greeted his wife.

"Hey, what's the news?"

"She went into labor and is at the hospital with him," she replied cryptically, "Andy wants to know if you can swing by Dora's school after work and bring her to the hospital. She is apparently quite eager to meet her new cousin."

"Right. It's a muggle hospital, correct?"

"Yes. Dora should be fine, as her school is also muggle. You should probably reglamour her hair or have her wear a hat to cover her hair. You know what it's like when she is excited. As for yourself, just transfigure your robes."

"Right. Okay. We will be there around four then. Love you."

"Love you too," and with that, Alice's head disappeared from the floo.

"Muggle hospital, eh? Dora's cousin?"

"Ted is muggleborn," reminded Frank, knowing that Moody didn't want to know too much.

"Right, now back to work. You still have another three hours till four. And it's not like the kid is likely to be born before then."

At precisely four o'clock, Frank stood up from his desk, grabbed his cane- he still kept it, as it was quite useful- and headed up to the lobby. Hopping into the elevator he ran into Amelia Bones who was on her way up as well.

"Good afternoon Frank. You are out of here early."

"Yes, well a good friend of mine is giving birth today. I am quite eager to meet the newest member of their family."

"Ah, yes. Quite an exciting thing, having a child is. Is it the couple's first?"

"Yah."

"Well then, I wish them luck." And with that, the elevator arrived in the lobby and both walked out, parting ways as Frank moved towards the apparition point.

The moment he arrived at Dora's school, she came flying towards him, wrapping her arms around his waist and knocking him slightly off balance. "Whoa there Dora. Slow down!"

"But I'm so excited! I can't slow down! Aletha is having her baby today and I am going to have a new cousin! How can I slow down and be calm? This is an exciting situation!"

Laughing, Frank glanced at Dora's uncovered hair. "Right, so it's a muggle hospital, so I'll need to re-glamour you hair. Is it brown?"

"Yah, mum does dark brown cause I'm not allowed colorful hair at school and that's closest to my natural color."

"Right then. Dark brown it is," he said as he waved his wand and reapplied the glamour. "How do I look? Muggle enough?"

Dora looked at him for a moment, scrutinizing his outfit. After a moment, she nodded. "You're getting much better at this whole muggle outfit business."

"Well, practice makes perfect. Right. Hold on tight and I'll apparate us to a nearby alley. Luckily Aletha showed me where the hospital is a couple weeks ago."

Dora nodded and held on tight as she felt the familiar sensation of being squeezed and elongated before appearing in an unfamiliar alleyway. Glancing about, Frank confirmed that no muggles had seen them and the two stepped out from the alley to the front of the hospital. Entering the large lobby, Frank was glad he had some experience with muggle hospitals when Ted had brought him to his appointments to fit his new leg. If he hadn't, he would have been truly overwhelmed by the number of people and the busyness of the entrance. Striding up to the welcome desk, Frank greeted the receptionist.

"Hello, I am here to visit Aletha Freeman."

"Which department?"

"Maternity. She is here to have a baby."

"Right, just give me a second." Punching something into the computer she read something and looked up at Frank. "Room 432c. She is still in a labor room, so you will have to wait in the family waiting room, room 430."

"Okay, thank you." Frank responded as Dora practically tugged him away from the reception desk towards the elevator.

When they arrived on the fourth floor, Alice, Andy, and Neville were already waiting.

"Any news?" Asked Frank, grabbing a seat next to his wife.

"She went into labor about five hours ago. Sirius came out for a moment about fifteen minutes ago. The doctors say she is close," Alice replied.

"I'm surprised Sirius has made it this long himself," smiled Andy.

"Oh, don't worry, he was just as much of a wreak when Lily went into labor. If you remember she went into labor only a few hours after me. We were next to each other in the hospital," reminisced Alice. "Do we know when Remus is coming? He is supposed to bring Harry."

"Remus said he would be by around five fifteen. He had his last exam today and then has to pick Harry up from the Grangers," responded Andy.

Just then Sirius came bursting into the waiting room, smiling from ear to ear. "It's a girl!" He shouted joyfully. "She is so tiny and beautiful. Guys! I have a daughter!"

"And her name?" questioned Andy, smiling brightly as well.

"Lyra. Lyra Lily Black."

"It's a beautiful name," whispered Alice, "Lily would love it."

As Sirius began describing his beautiful new daughter (and the pain he experienced as Aletha squeezed his hand), Remus arrived with Harry in tow.

"Pa'foot!" he cried happily.

"Hey pup!" Sirius greeted as Harry climbed onto his lap. "Guess who is a big brother now!" Harry looked around, confused. "You are!"

"Me?"

"Yup. You have a new baby sister. Her name is Lyra Lily. Do you want to meet her?" Harry nodded. "Okay, but we have to be gentle, she is very little."

"Ok," whispered Harry as he bounced up and down in Sirius' lap. "Wanna see."

With the rest of the group trailing close behind, Sirius entered the room with Harry in his lap. Stopping next to the bed, Sirius grabbed Aletha's hand gently. In her other arm was a tiny newborn, wrapped in a soft pink blanket. Smiling weakly, Aletha looked up at the group and said, "Hi. Everyone, meet our new daughter. Lyra Lily."

**16 June 2002**

Sirius stood shakily, grasping the walker in front of him as tight as he could. Slowly, he swung his right leg forward a few inches and planted it, taking a moment to regain his balance. Next he swung his left leg forward, and then scooted the walker forward.

"Good job Sirius," his physical therapist encouraged. "How do you feel? Are you tired yet?"

Sirius shook his head. "I'm okay. A little shaky, but I can keep going." He swung his right leg forward again. His knees and ankles were locked securely in place by the leg braces he was wearing, but his hips were still free to move. Since his hip muscles were so weak, this meant he was a little shaky. Determined, he swung his left leg forward.

"Okay. Let me know when you get tired though. I know I'm right here behind you to catch you if you fall, but I'd rather not," his PT chided.

Sirius merely nodded and took another step. His wedding was in just over two months, and he was determined to stand during the ceremony. He knew Aletha would be happy whether he was standing or sitting, but he wanted to stand. To be able to look her straight in the eye and say "I do." Another step. He could feel his arms tiring as he moved forward. He paused for a moment and his PT spoke up.

"Okay, I think that is enough for today. If you push yourself past what you are capable of right now you will only set yourself back. Okay?"

"Yah, alright."

"Good. Now just stay there and I'll grab you chair." Sirius nodded again as his PT grabbed his wheelchair from the corner of the room. "Okay, now slowly sit down. Good, now let's remove these braces, shall we?"

Sirius readjusted himself as his PT carefully undid the Velcro straps and slid the plastic and metal braces off his legs.

"When is the wedding?"

Sirius smiled, "23rd of August, just over two months away."

"Summer wedding, lovely. Ok, so how about try out some forearm crutches next week? Work towards getting you a little more mobile for the wedding?"

"Sounds awesome. When do I get to take the braces home?" Sirius asked.

"Maybe in a few weeks. When I trust you won't topple over and hurt yourself the moment you are out of my sight."

"Gotcha, see you Thursday?" Sirius checked as he wheeled himself out the door.

"Yup, same time."

As Sirius drove home, he went over his mental to-do list for the wedding. He had the venue booked, a caterer, and a photographer. He was waiting to hear back from a band. As for the cake, he and Aletha were supposed to go cake testing next weekend. He wasn't quite sure what the point was. James had said they all tasted good when Lily dragged him off. As for a tux, he was planning to head into London. He wanted to drag Remus, Frank, and Ted along to suffer with him.

As he listened to the radio, he thought about what James would say about his life nowadays. Probably a combination of lamenting over his impending loss of bachelorhood and chastising him for a getting a girl pregnant before he was married. Oh well. He loved his daughter and fiancée. In his eyes, Lyra was a Black, born out of wedlock or not (hence the last name). Besides, it was common enough in the muggle world to have a kid before actually married that it wasn't a scandal. And they were engaged by the time Lyra was born.

Pulling into the driveway, Sirius saw Remus was sitting on the front step, reading a book while keeping an eye on Harry who was playing with a giant dump truck in the grass. As he opened the car door, he was greeting by the shout of "DADDY!" from Harry, as he came bolting across the grass. Sirius smiled. Life was good.

**24 July 2002**

Frank arrived through the floo to find Sirius and Ted sitting in front of the television. Walking up behind the couch he was surprised when the two screamed in joy.

"Yes!" shouted Sirius, "Southampton Scores!"

"Come on! That was lousy! You should have saved it!" responded Ted.

Frank looked at the television. Sirius had explained what it was shortly after he had bought one, but Frank hadn't actually ever watched something. "Care to explain what you too are shouting about?" inquired Frank.

"Southampton just beat West Ham United in PKs. Ted is just whining because he supports a lousy team," explained Sirius.

"Hey! I'll have you know West Ham is a bloody brilliant team," responded Ted indignantly.

"Uh, right. What did Southampton beat West Ham at?"

"Oh, football. It's a brilliant muggle sport. Dan introduced me a couple weeks ago and I've been watching ever since. Since Dan supports Southampton, so do I."

"Right, so it's like muggle quidditch?"

"NO!" Interrupted Ted quickly. "Not at all. They play on a grass field, and kick the ball using their feet. The aim is to score as many points as possible by getting the ball into the net."

Before Ted could truly explain all the rules and nuances of the game, Aletha entered the kitchen. "You two, turn off the TV and get going. You have suits to buy. You can show Frank the wonderful game of football some other time. Now get going!"

"Yes ma'am," saluted Sirius mockingly, "We'll be right on our way."

"Good. I expect you back by six for dinner, so no pubs!" Turning to Ted, she added, "Andy knows I want Sirius back by six, so no pubs for you either."

"Right," said Sirius. "You two know where we are going?" Both nodded. "Good, I'll see you there then," he added as he apparated away.

Arriving in London, Sirius looked around to check for muggles and Frank and Ted popped in. Upon seeing none, they exited the alleyway and Frank walked up the steps of the nearest apartment building and rang the bell. A few minutes later, Remus appeared, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt.

"Looking casual Moony, what are you up too?" Sirius asked, surprised to see his friend dressed so simply.

"Nothing," Remus replied sheepishly, "just hanging around. Shall we be off?" The three other men nodded and Remus paused. "Where exactly are we going?" he asked nervously.

"Just a tailor," replied Frank, a knowing smirk on his face. "I believe it will be easiest if we apparate there. Sirius, can you side along Remus and I'll take Ted? They don't know where we are going."

Sirius nodded, "Yup." Upon seeing Remus's worried face he continued, "don't worry, I have improved a lot since the splinching incident of '98." Remus still looked doubtful as Sirius grabbed his hand and apparated with a loud pop.

Arriving in small alcove, Remus looked ill. "You call that improved?" he asked, holding his hands on his knees to regain balance.

"You are all here, right? Besides, its tricky apparating you when you are all the way up there and I'm down here." Remus merely glared as Frank and Ted popped in. "Right! Let's go!" Sirius shouted as he led the way.

Exiting the alcove, Remus could tell he was in a very nice part of London. The shops lining the road were fresh and smart, with expensive looking wares in the windows. As Sirius led the way into a clearly upscale tailor, he paused in the doorway. There was no way he could afford this place. Just as he was about to speak up, Frank pushed him in. "It's all taken care of. Sirius wants you looking smart for the wedding, so you will just go along and wear whatever we put you in," Frank whispered into his ear. Remus nodded, stepping onto the sales floor.

"Ah, Mister Black, it is good to see you again," greeted an older man as he walked out of the back room. "Are these three the groomsmen?"

"Yes sir," replied Sirius, "Frank, Remus, and Ted. They will be needing suits as well."

"Very good. Do you wish to have something with a wizarding flair for them as well? Or simple muggle suits?" Remus gasped in shock. "Yes, I am a squib," laughed the man. "My name is Gregory Tatting. You might know my family's shop in Diagon Alley."

Remus nodded as Sirius turned to the other three. "Wizarding flair? Or completely muggle? My tux is mostly muggle, the only ones who will be able to tell otherwise are fellow wizards."

"Muggle, I think," answered Frank. "I am a fan of the clean cut and lines. Besides, I don't have many opportunities to wear a muggle suit."

"Very well," replied Mr. Tatting. "Shall we start with you Mr. Black? I have the suit ready for the third fitting."

"Sure, sounds good," replied Sirius. As Mr. Tatting went into the back to grab the tux, the four looked around the shop. "I was thinking black with blue waistcoats. Aletha says the colors are a light blue and minty green. I think light blue sounds better for us guys."

Frank nodded, "Sounds good to me. Remus, Ted, do you want to find tuxedos in your size while I help Sirius with his fitting? Then we will have Mr. Tatting adjust them as necessary." Remus and Ted agreed, and headed over to the racks leaving Frank and Sirius alone on the floor.

Mr. Tatting returned with the tuxedo, and handed it off the Frank and Sirius, instructing Sirius to get dressed, mindful of the pins. The two of them headed into the tailoring room while Tatting fetched his supplies. Sirius first put on the shirt and waistcoat, and then Frank helped him onto his feet, unshrinking his crutches and handing them to him. Carefully, Frank then helped Sirius get his uncooperative legs into the suit pants and don the jacket. Mr. Tatting then returned, and starting circling around pinning and marking where adjustments were necessary, Sirius admired the suit. He had to admit, it looked fantastic. It was a fairly standard tuxedo, but the back flared out similar to a formal robe. Somehow, Mr. Tatting had even managed to keep the tuxedo slim fitting without letting the leg braces Sirius was wearing underneath show. He would have suspected magic, but he knew the man to be a squib.

After about fifteen minutes, Mr. Tatting stood back and looked at the suit from afar. "Good. Now we take it off. But carefully." Frank helped Sirius reverse the process, and sit down. As he readjusted himself in his chair, Sirius felt exhausted. All in all, he had been standing for about thirty minutes. He wanted to be able to stand for about an hour at the wedding. Mr. Tatting spoke again, "it is looking good. You need one final fitting in about two weeks to make any last minute adjustments. Then it will be done. Now for your friends, Mr. Black."

"Right, let's see what Remus and Ted have picked out," Sirius said gleefully. He knew they would be completely confused, as despite Andy's best efforts, Ted had no sense of style, and Remus was always flummoxed by choice.

To his surprise, when they stepped out onto the main floor, Remus and Ted were both holding clean-cut, simple yet elegant tuxedos. Handing them to Mr. Tatting, Remus remarked, "It is surprisingly easy to pick out muggle formal wear. Everything is so simple and clear."

"Good choice," interrupted Mr. Tatting. "Mr. Longbottom, if you would be so kind as to find your size, we can get you three fitted," he continued, pointing Frank towards a rack of Tuxedos. "Right. Mr. Tonks first. Then Lupin, then Longbottom."

It was about an hour later that three exhausted wizards left the shop. Mr. Tatting was quite good at his job, but it was still shopping. Looking at his watch, Sirius moaned. "It's already five thirty! Why do I need to be back by six?" he cried.

"Because me dear Padfoot," smirked Remus, "you have a one-month-old daughter and an almost two-year-old son at home."

"How did this happen to me?" he groaned.

"When a wizard and a witch love each other very much," began Remus as Ted and Frank burst into laughter. Sirius covered his ears in despair, moaning pitifully. Taking pity on his friend, Remus added "I am sure I can stop by sometime before the party and rescue you from your domestic nightmare."

"Oh thank you Moony! Thank you thank you thank you!" he exclaimed as the four wizards parted ways.


	8. Interlude: Magical Law Enforcement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the repeat of chapter 7! I was reposting this from fanfiction.net and I guess I uploaded chapter 7 twice instead of chapter 8

A/N: This is part of the non-Sirius side of the story up till the birthday party.

**8 Nov 2001**

Frank woke to the comforting presence of his wife curled up beside him. Wrapping his arms around her, he felt he begin to wake, turning to face him.

"Good morning love, how do you feel?"

"Morning. I feel much better. Are you ready to face the rest of the world?" He asked, kissing her lightly on the forehead.

"Mmmhh. Too bad we can't stay hidden forever. Just you, Neville, and me. Maybe a sunny beach, sand beneath our toes…" Alice trailed off.

"Sounds nice. But we do need to reappear. I can only imagine what my mother must be going through."

Alice frowned slightly. "Augusta is a strong woman. I am sure she is doing fine."

"I know she's not your favorite, but deep down she is a loving woman. And she is my mother," replied Frank, sighing slightly at need to mediate between the two.

"Your right. I'll go wake Neville. Why don't you take a shower and get dressed. Then we can eat breakfast. Andy says she invited Amelia Bones over, as she believes she will handle this the best."

"Alright," smiled Frank as Alice left the room. Slipping the covers off, Frank reached down to the floor beside the bed and grabbed his crutches. Carefully, he eased himself up from the bed and made his way to the shower. His leg no longer hurt, but he still didn't want to fall, it would be rather embarrassing after all.

After a nice hot shower and a fresh set of robes, Frank was feeling much better. Joining Alice and Neville in the kitchen he placed a kiss on his son's forehead, who smiled happily.

"I made waffles. Would you like some?" asked Andy from the kitchen.

"Yes please. That would be lovely."

Entering the room with two plates full of waffles and berries, Andy place one in front of Frank and sat down. "It amazes me how enjoyable cooking can be. I had never made my own food, yet alone without magic before I met Ted."

Finishing a bite of waffles, Frank responded. "Well, you sure know how to cook! These are amazing. Thanks."

"Oh, its nothing. Recipes are the same, whether for potions or for food. If you want something special, you need Ted's mother. She is master in the kitchen. Now, Amelia said she would be by around ten thirty. That is about half an hour from now. I figure you two can hide in the study until I let her know what the meeting is about. She is under the impression that I have information regarding Sirius." She paused. "Although I most certainly do," a small chuckle from Frank and Alice, "I will inform her that I actually want to talk about the pair of you. I will then lead her into the study. Do you two have your story straight?"

"Um, yes," replied Frank, placing down his fork. "We stick with the truth, merely leaving out facts when necessary. I tell her that Longbottom Manor was attacked. I held off the Death Eater's long enough for Alice to take Neville and run outside the anti-apparition and anti-portkey wards the Death Eaters had set up. However, I was seriously injured in the process. When I felt the anti-portkey ward fall, I activated a portkey you had given me – we meet through Sirius a while back – and I portkeyed here. I choose your house because I didn't have the strength to apparate, I knew you were a trained healer, and I didn't trust my safety at St. Mungos."

"Good," nodded Andy curtly. " Everything you say is the truth. If she tries to ask anything else, I will stall her and maneuver the conversation towards another topic. It's nearly ten thirty. Why don't you two take Neville and head towards the study?"

Amelia Bones looked at her watch. Ten twenty-five. Very well, she best be off. She wasn't sure why Andy had asked her to meet her this morning, and at her own place. Curious as to what might be up with her old school friend, Amelia had talked to her boss at St. Mungos. Apparently Andy had not been in to work since the 31st of October, over a week ago. She initially thought Andy might want to talk to her about Black, as they were cousins, but Andy had told the Aurors she didn't know where he was when the talked to her yesterday. Besides, she asked her to come alone.

Grabbing a dicta-quill and some parchment, Amelia threw in some floo powder at called "Tonks' Residence." Stepping through the fireplace she arrived in Andy's living room to find Andy calmly sitting in a chair, reading a book. "Good morning Andy. How are you?"

"Fine, thank you. And yourself?"

"A little busy. The fall of you-know-who has left the office swapped with paperwork. We are attempting to try all of the suspected Death Eater's but some of them appear to be slipping through. Corrupt bureaucrats," she muttered.

"Yes, well, let's get to business shall we? I am sure you are dying to know why I invited you here. Please, take a seat."

Lowering herself into a smart chair diagonal from Andy, Amelia nodded. "Yes, I was indeed wondering why."

"I invited you here to inform you of the fate of the Longbottoms."

Amelia blanched, her mouth hanging open slightly. This was not what she expected.

"Close your mouth would you. Gawking is quite unbecoming. And yes. The fate of the Longbottoms. They are alive, and I intend for you to speak with them. However, you will not push for answers to any questions they are not willing to answer. You will not call in backup unless Frank or Alice gives you permission. Do you agree?"

Amelia merely nodded. She could tell her friend was being serious. She was not listening to her friend, Andy, who enjoyed a good muggle romance novel. She was listening to Andromeda Black. Daughter of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black. They might have disowned her, but in times like right now, she was Black through and through.

"Good. Now, if you would follow me."

Forty-five minutes later, Amelia was sitting in the Tonks' study, staring at Frank Longbottom in disbelief. Here he was, alive, and (at least mostly) okay. Gathering up the parchment she had taken notes on she cleared her throat. "I guess we should head back to the DMLE."

"Probably, yes. If you don't mind, I would rather Alice and Neville stay here. I don't want them out in the open right now. I am sure you understand."

"Yes, quite. I suggest we floo to my office. Far less people to manage." She looked down at Frank's missing leg and crutches. "Are you okay to floo?"

"I believe so, although I suggest you head through first so you can help be if I lose my balance. Andy says the wound is healed, so it shouldn't be a problem."

"Very well. Shall we?" She asked as she stood to leave. Frank nodded, and followed her slowly.

As Frank stumbled out of the floo, she caught him before he fell.

"Thanks," he muttered embarrassed. "Been a long time since I stumbled coming out of the floo."

"I expect you shall soon get a hang of it. After all, if Moody can…" Frank laughed slightly, letting Amelia know she had said the right think. "And speaking of Moody, I suppose I should call him in here as well. I am sure he will be glad to learn you are, indeed, alive. He did lose most of his team in one fellow swoop."

Frank nodded, sitting down in the chair Amelia had conjured for him. Mad-Eye had trained James and Sirius as well as himself. Although James had left the force a few months before his death to go into hiding, Frank knew Mad-Eye considered his trainees family. He would have been hit hard by the events of the past week, even if he didn't allow himself to show it. The sound of Moody's uneven gait brought Frank back to attention. He pulled out his wand and casting a protego as Moody shoot a stinging hex and yelled "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"

"Good to see you too," Frank responded, holstering his wand.

"Glad ta see you alive," gruffed Moody, "even if you left part of yourself behind."

"Your one to talk," retorted Frank, motioning towards Mad-Eye's own fake leg and eye.

Moody laughed in response. "Saw the house after you left. Nice job. Four dead Death Eaters. Including the Lestranges."

Frank simply nodded, not bothering to correct him. He wouldn't mention Sirius unless Moody brought it up. For all his worth, he was Dumbledore's man, thorough and through. Which, unless he proved otherwise, currently made him Frank's enemy. "About the attack, they came through the wards far faster than they should have. They knew where the ward stone was. Any ideas who could have told them?"

Moody frowned. "No idea. That was the weird thing. Forensics says the wards were bypassed, not dismantled. But you would know more about your own wards than I would."

Frank paled. If the wards appeared fine when the Aurors arrived, then someone had either told the Death Eaters how to deactivate them properly, or someone had come by later to repair them. Neither was a good sign. "I don't know exactly. I have theories. I'll let you know if one turns out to be true."

Mad-Eye nodded again. "Well, it is good to see you, Frank. The entire department will be glad to hear you are alive. When will you be in to work?"

"Probably starting on Monday. Although I'll be stuck doing desk work for a while."

Mad-Eye grunted. "We all are. So much damn paperwork now that the war is over." Swiveling his magical eye to the back of his head, Mad-Eye continued, "The big guns are on their way in. That means I'm off. Say hi to Alice for me."

"Will do," Frank replied as Mad-Eye limped out of the room just as Minister Bagnold, Barty Crouch, and a reporter for _The Daily Prophet_ entered. He sighed. This was going to be a long afternoon.

**13 Jan 2002**

Frank was sitting at his desk, surrounded by work. Not that he was doing it, but he was surrounded by it. He had been back at work two months now as was itching to return to the field. Paperwork was boring. VERY boring. Looking down at the bureaucracy in front of him, he read the subject line: _Possible Sirius Black Sighting: Leeds._ He moaned. Even better. Paperwork for a lead he knew to be false. Not that he could say anything. Crouch had wanted to send dementors out to find Sirius, but thanks to their less than positive role in the last war, the minister wasn't willing to do so. Not to mention the public backlash there would be if people discovered the minister put the boy-who-lived in risk of being kissed by a dementor.

Grabbing a quill, he started filling out the paperwork regarding the sighting. Better they looked for Sirius in Leeds than where he actually was. Just as he dipped his quill in ink, Moody came stomping up. "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" He yelled, as Frank spilled some ink onto the form.

"Dammit Moody, now I've got to start over again."

Moody looked over Frank's shoulder. "Start over? You barely started. What have you been up to all day? I don't pay you to just sit here."

"Like you are any better at doing paperwork. Put me back out in the field. Please. I'm dying of boredom here!"

Moody snorted. "Guess you're in luck then. You have your field recertification next week. I pushed them do let you do it earlier than they wanted to, so don't fuck it up or I'll bloody well kill you."

"Yes sir. I'll pass the recertification. And stop doing bloody paperwork," Frank muttered. With another snort Moody walked off leaving Frank to stare at the now ink stained form. Groaning, he vanished it and pulled out a new one. Bloody forms.

**26 Feb 2002**

Frank was sweating hard despite the chill outside. Wiping his brow he turned to Sirius, who looked equally exhausted.

"Well, that went better than expected," gasped Frank.

Sirius merely nodded as he chugged some water. "Yah. I'll have to figure out how to move and cast at the same time. I can't just hold a shield forever. I'd never win in a duel even if I could hold it forever."

Frank nodded. He and Sirius had turned the backyard into a training zone, complete with debris, rocks, and other obstacles. They had set up layers upon layers of anti-muggle, shield, and notice-me-not wards. They had started out easy, simply targeting inanimate objects. After a few minutes, Sirius had gotten a hang of the new angle he needed to cast spells at and they had started to duel. Sirius certainly wasn't as good as he used to be, a few months without practice and reduced mobility would do that, but he was still bloody good. He made up for agility with raw power and creativity. The ways Sirius used simple hexes and jinxes such as the hair growth charm still amazed him.

"You were good though. A little more practice and you could take most people in a duel, I'd say," Frank commented.

"Most, not all. I need to be able to protect Harry and Aletha. And the baby for that mater. We can pretend everything is all right, but I'm a wanted criminal. Harry is the boy-who-lived. Dumbledore appears to have turned against me. The rat is still out there. I need to be better than good."

Frank didn't say anything. What could he say? I'm sorry people have decided you would betray your brother in all but blood? Kill the people you considered family? Attack a friend? Sirius was right. He needed to be better than good in order to protect his family. A few moments passed as both just listened to the world around them, comfortable in the mutual silence. Then Frank broke the silence.

"Moody asked if you could protect yourself and Harry."

Sirius set down his water, confused.

"Yah, he knows. Figured it out completely. That you were there and were injured badly in the fight. Said he didn't want to know so he couldn't give you away. But he told me to let you know he believes you. That you are innocent."

"Means a lot, from him. What did you say?"

"That even though anyone else probably couldn't defend themselves in your situation, you would find a way."

"Lily did always say I was too stupid to realize when I was doing something impossible," Sirius replied with a cheeky grin

"Go again?" Sirius nodded and they began dueling once again.

**24 May 2002**

Frank entered the ministry, a slight spring in his step. As he entered the elevator, he almost ran into Moody. "Morning Auror Moody!"

"Morning," replied Moody, "What's got you so peppy this early in the day?"

"Oh, not much. Just yesterday was a good day. A very good day."

"This have to do with a friend of yours and the Tonks who went into labor yesterday?"

"A little. Alice saw how cute the little girl was. She decided she wants another kid, a sibling for Neville. We have been talking about it, but I think seeing the little girl reminded her just how much she wanted another kid."

"This mutual friend, someone I know?" Frank didn't say anything. "Well, if it is, tell him congratulations and to act like an adult."

"Will do sir," Frank responded as they exited the elevator into the Auror office.

**28 July 2002**

Frank had grown bored of the party about an hour ago. In all honesty, he didn't really seem the point in it all. Neville was only turning two and they were having another, more intimate gathering with Harry in a few days. Grabbing a glass of pumpkin juice, he made his way towards Amelia and Rufus.

"How are you enjoying the party?" questioned Frank as he sipped his juice. He was definitely going to have some muggle beer at the party next week.

"It's lovely. I glad I had the chance to see Alice and Neville again. It really has been so long," Amelia replied.

Frank nodded; he had forgotten Amelia was raising her niece Susan now. "Yes, Susan is close to Neville's age isn't she?"

"She turned two last winter. They should be in the same year at Hogwarts." Amelia glanced over at the gathering of small children. Alongside Neville and Susan were the Weasleys, Greengrasses, the Diggory boy, and the little Lovegood girl. They were all happily playing in the sunshine, watched over carefully by Alice and a few others. "I know you weren't too keen on the whole public party," she continued, "but I think everyone needed it. It is nice to enjoy a nice summer day and watch our children play together without worrying about their safety too much."

Frank nodded, peace had truly set in, as most of the Death Eaters had either been sent to Azkaban or bribed their way out. Too many had bribed in his opinion, but the Minister seems to enjoy lining their pockets too much.

"Too bad the Potter boy isn't here," lamented Rufus.

Frank watched the kids play. "Yes, too bad," he lamented softly. "I best check on Alice, I'll see you later?"

"Oh course," smiled Amelia. "Enjoy the party."

With a nod, Frank walked over to Alice, greeting her with a hug. Whispering into her ear, he added "I know this means a lot to everyone, but somehow it seems so fake with Sirius hiding and James and Lily gone. To think, it could have easily been us instead."

Alice kissed him on the cheek, and whispered back, "I am thankful we are here everyday. And I am thankful we have the opportunity to help Sirius and Harry out. I know Lily and James would have done the same for us."


	9. Cat's Out of the Bag

**31 July, 2002**

Sirius awoke early in the morning to the sound of Lyra crying. Sitting up, he turned to a sleepy Aletha and said, "I'll get her. I wanted an early start to Harry's birthday anyways." Aletha merely muttered unintelligibly into her pillow as Sirius eased himself out of bed. Entering the nursery, Sirius rubbed his eyes sleepily. He had thought James had been exaggerating when he complained about how little sleep he was getting after Harry was born. Now Sirius knew better. He hadn't been able to sleep until even 9 am since Lyra was born. A far cry from the leisurely noon wake ups he had been enjoying a year ago.

Reaching into the crib, Sirius picked up his daughter. She was beautiful. Her eyes were a light brown and she had little tufts of black hair growing in all over her head. She appeared to have inherited some of his aristocratic looks, but without the paleness of his skin, thanks to Aletha. Defty, he pulled out a clean nappy and some wipes and changed her, dressing her in a cute pink dress. Grabbing the baby sling from the small table, Sirius careful arranged her against his chest, rocking her gently to calm her. After a few moments, she had calmed down, so he wheeled himself down the hall into the kitchen. The baby sling, a thoughtful gift from Emma and Dan was brilliant. He had been worried that Aletha would have to be the one to carry her until she was old enough to sit on his lap.

Opening the fridge, Sirius grabbed a bottle of formula and brought it to the microwave. A minute later, he was happily feeding Lyra as he read the morning paper (yet another thing he had decided was superior in the muggle world). After Lyra had finished her bottle and he had covered the days news (nothing exciting, just the usual), he returned the fridge and pulled out a carton of eggs, some sausages, and juice. As he began preparing breakfast, he once again thought about how much his life had changed. Only a year ago, Lily had made sure to invite him and Remus over at least twice a week to feed them, seeing as they were incapable of feeding themselves anything besides toast. Thanks to Andromeda's cooking lessons (she was able to explain it in terms of potions, which he was fairly good at), he was capable of helping out in the kitchen- although he suspected he would never be a fantastic chef.

Just as the eggs were about to be done he heard the sounds of tiny feet running down the hall. "Good morning Harry," he greeted, "did the smell of breakfast wake you up?"

Harry nodded eagerly and climbed onto a chair. "Big boy chair?" he asked hopefully, his head just clearing the edge of the table.

"Well, you are two today," responded Sirius with a smile as Aletha entered the kitchen.

Kissing him lightly on the cheek, Aletha remarked, "Eggs and sausages. Smells good. Is Harry sitting in a big boy chair today?"

"Yes!" Shouted Harry.

"He does seem to have made up his mind. And we do have a booster seat for him now."

"Okay, big boy chair it is," responded Aletha. "You do realize we will never get him back in the high chair, don't you?"

"Yah, but soon little Lyra will be there."

Aletha nodded as she opened the hall closet to pull out a bright new booster seat. After securing it to a chair she helped Harry climb into it as Sirius proclaimed breakfast ready.

Around noon, Sirius realized that two-year-olds could be quite impatient when it came to birthday parties. While he realized Harry didn't quite understand the whole birthday and party concept yet, he knew something was happening today. And he was excited. Very excited. As in currently bouncing off the walls and running around the room excited. Sirius sighed. Aletha was putting Lyra down for her nap and had left him in charge of calming down the rambunctious child. Looking about the room in exasperation, Sirius decided he might as well give Harry one of his presents early. It would at least keep him occupied.

Grabbing a long, thin package wrapped in brightly colored quidditch paper, Sirius turned to Harry. "Hey pup, you want to open a present?"

Harry's eye lit up with joy at the question and he nodded his head eagerly and ran across to Sirius. "Pwe'sen!" He shouted, clapping his hands.

"Okay buddy. Do you want to sit on my lap or the floor as you open it?"

"Lap!"

Picking Harry up and carefully setting him on his lap, Sirius presented the gift to Harry. With all the care and finesse of a barely two-year-old boy, Harry ripped off the paper, and then giggled in delight. "Bwoom! I fly?" he asked curiously.

"Yep, I'm going to teach you how to fly. Every good wizard should know how and James would already be disappointed in me for waiting this long to replace the baby boom you had. Come on, let's go to the backyard. No flying in the house. Okay?"

"Kay," responded Harry with all the seriousness he could muster.

Sirius smiled happily. It had been a little difficult obtaining a toddler broom for Harry, as neither he nor Aletha could be seen in Diagon Alley. But after a secretive talk via floo with Frank and promises that they could teach the boys how to fly together, Frank had agreed to pick up the broom, behind Aletha's back, for Harry. He had only told her about it after the fact, using his best begging face to convince her it was a good idea. In all honesty, it was a little bittersweet teaching Harry to fly. While it was one of his favorite activities, he hadn't flown since Bellatrix had cursed him, and doubted he ever would again. At least not on a broomstick.

Casting a few extra notice-me-not charms on the yard to make sure the neighbors didn't notice the flying broomstick, Sirius place Harry on the ground next to his new broom. "Okay Harry, the first thing you need to do is say 'Up'".

"Up!" shouted Harry, laughing in delight as the broom shot up into his hand.

"Very nice, now stand with one foot on either side." Using the wheel of Sirius' chair to steady himself, Harry managed to place one foot on either side of the broom. "Good! Now sit down on it and lean forward." As Harry did so, the broom rose another six inches off the ground and moved forward, slowly gaining speed. Sirius followed alongside, giving encouragement and a little help with some of the turns and Harry smiled brightly. Finally, after about half and hour, Sirius had determined that Harry was good enough to fly around the garden on his own. After all, the broom was designed for toddlers and didn't fly very far off the ground. "Stay near me pup, okay?"

It was about an hour later with a thoroughly exhausted Harry that Sirius returned to the house. Bringing him in, he changed his nappy and settled him down for his afternoon nap. Returning to the living room, he found Aletha sitting on a chair, reading a book with Lyra in her arms.

"How was the flying?"

"It was awesome. He loved every minute of it. If it weren't for the fact that he was about to fall asleep on the broom, I think he would have stayed out for several more hours."

"A natural is he?"

"Just like James, yah," responded Sirius with just a hint of sadness in his voice. It didn't hurt as much to talk about James and Lily anymore. Now he could focus more on the good times and memories. "Are we sure about this party?" he questioned, thinking about their plans to head over to Longbottom Manor later that afternoon for a joint party for the two boys.

"Alice and I have spent a long time thinking about it. They had another gathering last weekend for the more public celebration of Neville's birthday. Since they still keep the wards locked down tight, nobody should be too suspicious. Beside, it will be nice to be able to visit the wizarding world again, even if it is only briefly."

"You are right. I just worry. Especially now that we have Lyra."

Aletha nodded and returned to her book as Sirius went to his office. He didn't have a job per say, but was busy working with Frank and Ted on a plan to clear his name. Reading through all the wizarding laws, Sirius realized just how ridiculous they all were. Muggle laws made far more sense, and were much fairer.

Around five o'clock Aletha, and Sirius gathered the kids went into the office where the floo was located. "Right," began Sirius, "I'll take Lyra in the baby sling and you can grab Harry?"

"Sounds perfect, now remember, the password is Holyhead Harpies Rule."

"Ha, Alice's turn I'm guessing?"

"Yup, I fully expect another quidditch themed password from Frank."

Throwing in the floo powder, Sirius shouted "Longbottom Manor! Holyhead Harpies Rule!" then popped a wheelie, rolling into the fireplace. As flew out the other side, he coughed, disturbing the dust that had settled all over him.

Frank, who was waiting on the other side laughed, "The pureblood scion of The Most Noble and Ancient House of Black can't floo without getting covered in soot?" he mocked.

"Bugger off. It's a little different than it used to be. And it's not like I floo very often to practice."

"Excuses, excuses," waved off Frank and Aletha stepped out of the fireplace gracefully.

"Now that's just not fair," grumbled Sirius good-naturedly as the followed Frank out into the back garden.

"Sirius! Aletha! Oh and Harry and Lyra! Look how big they are getting!" cried Alice in greeting as she ran over.

"They do seem to keep growing, don't they," replied Aletha, drawing the bubbly woman into a hug. "And where is Neville? I am sure Harry can't wait to play with him."

"He's in one of the greenhouse with Dora. I think she is currently matching her hair color to some of his favorite flowers, much to his delight."

"Well, shall we head to the greenhouse then?" Aletha asked as she hooked arms with Alice and led her away from the two men.

"I think we were just discarded," muttered Frank. "Guess it's time for a beer. Ted set up a barbeque and is busy grilling ribs with Remus. I head something about a possible girlfriend."

"Moony?" questioned Sirius, "Moony with a girlfriend?"

"You are engaged and holding your newborn baby," cheeked Frank.

"Touché, all the more reason for a beer. Let's go."

Just as the sun began setting and everyone was getting ready to leave, the floo sprung to life and Sirius blanched as Amelia Bones, second in command of the DMLE's face appeared.

Harry was running around the living room with Neville, giggling wildly when the floo came to life. Both boys stopped, curious as to who was coming through. A face appeared in the flames and shouted "Frank! Emergency at the DMLE! I ne… Harry Potter?" And with that, everyone in the room froze in terror at the sight of Amelia Bones, second in command of the DMLE.

As Alice grabbed the boys' hands and dragged them back from the flames, Frank stepped forward nervously, watching the face of his boss turn from confusion, to anger, to curiosity. Swinging his bad leg out to the side, he knelt down in front of the fireplace so that he was eye level with Amelia's face.

"Longbottom! What is Potter doing in your house?" She shouted. Frank swallowed nervously, unsure how to answer. "Never mind. I'm coming through. NOBODY LEAVES THE HOUSE! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"

"Yes boss," Frank managed to utter as Amelia's face disappeared from the flames. Standing up and taking a step back from the floo, Frank glanced at the rest of the group. Somehow, in the intervening moments, Andromeda had turned from relaxed and carefree into the very picture of a Black Woman. Ted, too, had drawn himself up and straightened his robes, trying to look every part the lawyer he was. Meanwhile, Sirius had scooped Harry up onto his lap proactively, with Lyra tucked safely into the baby sling and Aletha by his shoulder. Dora, Neville, and Alice stood off to the side with Remus, trying very hard to disappear. Gathering up his own courage, Frank addressed the group. "Well, we planned on telling Amelia the truth eventually. This is just a little earlier than we wanted to. Alice, Remus be ready to draw your wands. I don't think we'll need to, but…" He trailed of as Amelia Bones stepped out of the floo, wand in hand, followed closely by a grinning Moody.

"Good evening Auror Bones, Auror Moody," intoned Andromeda. "Or is it Amelia and Alastor?" she asked, tone full of confidence and power.

Amelia, visibly shaken by Andromeda's tone of voice looked about the room. Frank, Alice, and Remus all held their wands in hand, ready to find. Holstering hers, she responded to Andromeda. "I believe, Andy, that we need to have a talk. I fear last time I spoke to you, you were not being entirely honest."

"Oh no," replied Andromeda, "I believe you will find I have been entirely honest, it not exactly forthcoming with the entire story. I was asked if I knew where Sirius was. At the time, I did not. I never said anything about knowing where he had been, or where he would be."

Amelia nodded, "very well. If you wouldn't mind, I would appreciate the full story."

Sensing it was time for him to join the conversation, Frank spoke up. "If you follow me into the library, I am sure we can sort some things out. If you don't mind, the children will stay out here with Alice and Remus. They don't need to be present for this conversation."

"Agreed," acquiesced Amelia.

Frank led the group with Amelia, Andromeda, and Ted close behind. Moody hung back, waiting as Sirius handed off Harry and Lyra to Remus. Taking a moment to take in how Sirius looked, Moody remembered the conversation he had with Frank, months ago. "Bellatrix caught him with a dark curse. He won't recover completely," Frank had said. Looking at Sirius' skinny, still legs, Moody had to agree.

"Bellatrix?" He questioned, motioning towards the chair.

"Yah, hit me with a particularly nasty curse as I blew her up. I got lucky, the curse wasn't completed," Sirius responded. He was surprised to find it didn't hurt to talk about what happened any more. With all the excitement and happiness that came with Harry, Lyra, and Aletha it didn't seem to hurt as much. Not that it never hurt, just not that often.

"That's lucky?" question Moody, disbelief evident in his voice.

"Like I said, a particularly nasty curse. Worse than the cruciatus. Black family special."

Moody, sensing it was time to changed subjects asked, "So the kid that got Longbottom so excited, she's yours?"

"Yup," Sirius responded, his face full of happiness. "Her name is Lyra and she is just over two months old."

"You marrying the girl?"

"Yah, don't take this the wrong way, but are you sure you are Alastor Moody?" asked Sirius.

Moody smacked Sirius on the back of the head. "Does that answer your question? And I missed you."

Sirius stopped and looked up at Moody's face, staring him in his real eye. "You missed me?"

"Yup, nobody to smack around with my cane. And now Longbottom carry's one around just to threaten me back," Moody joked. He really had missed Sirius. He might appear hard and unloving, but he was human. James and Sirius had almost been like sons to him. Frustrating, annoying, mischievous sons, but sons nonetheless. The death of James and disappearance of Sirius had hit him hard. Even he could admit that- in private.

Sirius barked in laughter. "Does he really? Oh man, that's fantastic! I told him too! I figured he could scare the bloody hell out of the trainees! Does he?" asked Sirius as he continued into the office, convinced again that it really was Mad-Eye.

Moody grunted. "Damn you. Left the force, hiding from the law and you are still a pain in my ass."

After everyone had entered the room and sat down, Amelia cleared her throat. "Anyone want to start explaining? A don't think I haven't noticed you aren't surprised Moody. You better have a damn good reason why you have been hiding information from me."

"Haven't hid anything from you. Ordered Frank not to tell me anything. If I didn't know anything for sure." he trailed off as Amelia completed his sentence.

"They you wouldn't have been able to give anything up, even under veritaserum as we would have asked what you knew."

"Exactly."

"I suppose I should tell you what really happened then, shouldn't I?" interrupted Sirius, taking a deep breath. At Amelia's motion to continue, he launched into his story. "It all started about a month before Halloween. James and Lily had been in hiding since Harry's birth, but we received intel that an attack was imminent. Dumbledore decided the wards on Potter Manor where not enough, and that James and Lily should use the fidelius charm instead." Amelia nodded, this was all well known. "After a few days of convincing, they started looking for a house to hide in. Potter Manor just seemed too well known. We though people would notice if they forgot about the Potter Ancestral Home, and start looking for the secret keeper.

Amelia nodded, it did seem likely that if people suddenly forgot where the Potters had lived for centuries, they would connect two and two and start looking for the keeper, whereas they would assume they didn't know where James and Lily were simply because they had been in hiding.

"In mid October, they decided on the house in Godric's Hollow. Dumbledore recommended himself as secret keeper, but James and I were hesitant. He had made some decisions that… well, let's just say we didn't trust him one hundred percent. Knowing there was a spy in the Order," Amelia nodded, indicating she knew of the Order of the Phoenix, "they wanted to choose a close friend. James asked me, but I thought it would be too obvious. I recommended Peter Pettigrew, thinking nobody would suspect him. He was the weakest of our friends. We would make a big deal about me going into hiding, to put people off his trail." Aletha wrapped her arm around Sirius, offering encouragement as he continued.

"On the 31st, Dumbledore came to cast the charm. It was around eight in the morning. After completing the charm and being let in on the secret by Peter, he left. Peter and I stayed for a little while longer and planned out the rouse. I would dramatically pack up my stuff that night and head to Uncle Alphard's cabin."

Amelia looked Sirius in the eye, trying to ascertain if he was telling the truth. "Dumbledore knew?"

"Yes," replied Andy. "He knew Sirius was not the secret keeper. That Sirius did not, could not, betray the Potters. To make matters worse, when Sirius arrived at Godric's Hollow in the aftermath of the attack, he ran into Hagrid. Dumbledore had sent him to fetch Harry and bring him to Lily's sister's house."

"But if he knew Sirius was innocent, and knew he was his godfather- not to mention Alice is his godmother-"

"Then why did he try to place Harry with Petunia? Petunia hated Lily. She abhorred anything magical, she was the last place Lily would want Harry to go," Sirius responded angrily.

Andy stepped in again, "I believe he was trying to control Harry. Isolate him from those who loved him, those who cared about him. We believe we know why he wants to control Harry, but I don't know if we can trust you with that yet. What we do know is that Voldemort is not dead."

Amelia shuddered, "You-know-who not dead? How?"

Andy's face turned dark, disgust and hate filling her eyes. "Horocruxes."

There was a look of confusion on everyone but Aletha and Sirius' faces. Aletha's was full of sadness, Sirius's on un-tempered rage. Aletha placed a hand on her fiancées shoulder, attempting to calm him. "HE HAS A HOROCRUX?" shouted Sirius. Andy nodded.

"Would someone please enlighten the rest of us and explain what a horocrux is?"

"They are the darkest of magic," spat Sirius, "So dark even the Blacks dare not create them. They are vessels that contain part of someone's soul. They can only be made through the slaughter of an innocent victim, and while a dark wizard has one, they cannot die." He turned to Andy. "And how, pray tell, did you discover this?"

Andy breathed in deeply. This was not going to be pleasant. "I discovered one. When I gave Harry a thorough exam."

"WHAT!" screamed Sirius, "You found a horocrux in my godson, my son, and did not tell me?" He started to draw his wand, rage tearing through him. Aletha grabbed his arms, trying to pin them to his side.

"I knew, Siri. We removed it; it is no longer there. We didn't tell you because you were already at the hospital. We didn't want to burden you any more. You had lost so much…" She trailed off as she felt Sirius relax, tears falling from his cheeks.

"He is okay now, right?"

"Yes love. Andy found an ancient cleansing ritual and used it on him. He is fine."

Amelia ran all the knew information through her head, then asked, "Andy, you said horocruxes. As in plural. Did he make more than one?" Sirius stiffened again, the thought of making one, yet alone more than one…

"I believe so. The soul fragment in Harry appeared small and accidental, indicating the soul had already been split. Since a horocrux splits the soul into two pieces…"

"Every time you make one the soul inside you is cut in half," Amelia finished grimly. Andy nodded. "What happens know?"

"Well, that all depends on you. If there are indeed, more horocruxes out there, they need to be destroyed. Or else Voldemort can come back. But, this needs to remain secret," Andy replied.

"Secret?" questioned Amelia.

This time Moody responded. "Can't let any of his followers know he is still out there. They wouldn't hesitate to bring him back." Sending a judging look at Amelia as she moved to protest, he continued, "We both know many of his top supporters simply bribed their way out of justice. They still work for the ministry."

"Ah, yes, that," smiled Andy. We have a plan for that.

"We do?" asked Sirius, realizing just how much Andy had been up to while he hid.

"Yes. Ted and I have been working on it with occasional help from Frank. We are simply waiting for dear old Arcturus to die."

Amelia raised an eyebrow, Sirius gulped. "But I was disowned…"

"Not formally. I checked. It appears lovely Walburga simply blasted you off the tapestry. You were never formally disowned. You are still the heir of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black. I believe Arcturus would have disowned you had Regulus lived. I suppose even the disgraceful Gryffindor was still better than the Black fortune going to a Malfoy."

Sirius pretended to gag. "Ew. Lucius. You said waiting for Arcturus do die. Do we know when that will be?"

"Not exactly, but soon. He has retreated from society, severely ill. I believe it won't be long," replied Andy.

Moody grumbled. "Not to be rude, but what about Dumbledore? Man proclaims himself leader of the light, yet he is lying to everyone."

Andy nodded sadly, "There is not too much that we can do. He holds too much power at the moment. Chief Warlock, Supreme Mugawump, Headmaster of Hogwarts- all those titles give him power. Add to that the fact that he defeated Grindewald, and yes he did indeed, people look up to him. It is Sirius's word versus his. Even with the aide of veritaserum and pensive memories, it is an uphill battle. Sirius is a Black. That works against us."

"We still need to clear Sirius's name," Amelia responded. "I cannot condone hunting an innocent man."

"While I appreciate the thought, and really, I do, we can't. At least not yet. With spineless Bagnold," Moody laughed, "the bastard Crouch, and Dumbledore in charge, anyone who tried to help me publically will be crucified. No, we listen to Andy. We work behind the scenes. Clean up the ministry. Wait until Crouch leaves the DMLE. Then we strike."

"Didn't know you did waiting and behind the scenes."

Sirius smiled slightly. "I didn't. But I have a family to protect. And I can no longer run guns-a-blazing into a fight." He looked out at the group, sadness spreading into the corners of his eyes. "It's time for me to grow up. It's time for me to use my blasted slytherin upbringing to do some good."

Everyone stared at Sirius, unsure how to respond. Sitting there, holding his fiancée's hand, he looked like a different person from the Sirius they had seen. Gone was the rash, young schoolboy. In his place sat the future Lord Black. A man who would do anything to protect his family. A man you didn't want to cross.


	10. Interlude: Removing the Horcruxes

**12 Nov 2001**

Andromeda Tonks stepped out of the fireplace into the living room of her friend and fellow healer, Aletha Freeman. She was immediately greeted by an enthusiastic 15-month-old and a frazzled twenty-three-year old.

"Good afternoon, Aletha. How is it going?" Andromeda questioned as she looked around the room. Boxes were piled high, some full and shrunken, others still half-empty.

"Busy," replied Aletha. "A certain little boy here was up at six in the morning, whining for a mangy mutt we know."

Andromeda nodded. Harry had only stopped asking for his parents every morning. Having Sirius disappear on him was too much for the young boy to understand. "Well, why don't we give this cute little boy a checkup, and then I can see about helping you pack up."

Aletha nodded, picking up Harry and placing him on her lap as she sat down on the couch. "Right, let's get started."

Andromeda began with a basic health check. The results showed Harry to be healthy, a little on the tall and thin side, but so was James. He also would need glasses, but again that was expected. If she remembered correctly, James was almost completely blind without his. She moved onto, casting a spell to detect lingering curse damage or dark magic. She really should have done this when he first arrived at her house, but it had been so hectic. As the results came up, she frowned. There appeared to be dark magic originating from the scar on his forehead. Casting a more targeted spell, she gasped.

"What?" cried Aletha frantically, "What is wrong?"

"There is another presence, a dark one, originating from Harry's scar. I am not sure as to what it is, but I have an idea. If I am correct…" she trailed off, unable to say what she was thinking. "I need to look something up. I will back shorty."

And with that, Andromeda departed in a hurry, leaving a confused and concerned Aletha sitting on the couch.

Andromeda stepped out of the floo and hurried into her office. Striding up to her bookshelf, she cast a spell, revealing another shelf of books. This shelf contained those she had pilfered from the Black library before she had been disowned. Pulling out _Dark Rituals and Rites_ , she turned to a familiar page. A page Regulus Black had dog-eared over two years ago during a frantic visit. At the time, she had been confused, he had come in a hurry, spoken to her in vague riddles, rifled through her books, and left. Only after his death had she found the dog-eared page. Even then, she had read it and thought nothing of it. The ritual it describes was so dark and dangerous she had never imagined coming across evidence of it. The only reason she even had the book was because she hadn't wanted Bellatrix to read it.

Looking down at the page, she read the title: _Horocruxes: Purpose and Process_. Reaching the bottom of the page, she let a tear fall down her cheek. The book confirmed that what she had seen in her scan of Harry was indeed a part of Voldemort's soul. And the only way to destroy a soul fragment that the book mentioned involved destroying the vessel. Killing Harry. Sinking to the ground, she clutched the book in anguish. She couldn't do that. She couldn't kill Harry. Couldn't end an innocent life. Couldn't hurt Sirius, Alice, even Remus, Frank, and Aletha that way. No. She couldn't.

It was on the floor that Aletha found her, almost an hour later. She was clutching Harry in her arms, when she entered the study. "Andy?" Aletha asked. "Are you okay?"

"I can't do it. I can't kill him," Andy half muttered half sobbed.

Aletha paused. "What do you mean you can't kill him," responded Aletha, fear and concern evident in her voice.

Unable to explain in words, Andy merely handed the book to Aletha and sunk her head into her hands. After about five minutes, Aletha put the book down.

"We will find a way. We will NOT kill Harry. We will find a way," repeated, desperately trying to convince herself that what she said was true.

"Yes," responded Andy. "We will find a way. I will not stop searching until we find it."

**12 Feb 2002**

Andy made eye contract with Aletha about halfway through the party. She nodded, as if to say, "yes, I know. But I can't tell him either. I can't hurt him. Can you?" Looking away, he gaze fell on Sirius who was in the middle of the living room, Harry fast asleep in his arms. He looked happy, happier than he had since James and Lily had died. She knew he wasn't completely better, she could see the sadness in the corner of his eyes, the way he said things and almost seemed to wait for James's response sometimes. She wondered if he would ever be completely over it. But, looking at the young boy nestled in his arms; she knew that if he ever had a chance, it lay with Harry. If she told him, he would never get over it. No. She wouldn't tell him until after they had found a way to safely remove it.

She watched as Aletha walked over to Sirius and grabbed the sleeping boy from his arms. Sirius kissed her, and said something that made Aletha laugh. He then turned, and spotted her across the room. He flashed a trademark Sirius smile and wheeled himself across the room to Andy.

"Hello favorite cousin of mine. I feel like I have hardly seen you all evening. What's on your mind?" he asked.

Andy smiled; Sirius always was good at reading people. "I was just watching you with Harry. You seem so happy and complete with him."

"Yah," responded Sirius, "I've loved him like my own ever since Prongs brought him out of the hospital room and placed him into my arms. I only hope I can raise him well and do James and Lily proud." The sadness creeped back into Sirius's eyes as he mentioned his best friends.

"I am sure you will make a fine father, Sirius."

"I sure hope so. After all, I have another one on the way."

"Ah, yes. A little Sirius. Are you planning on marrying her?"

Sirius paled. "I bought a ring back in October. I was thinking about proposing but then…" Andy nodded in understanding. "Anyway, I wanted to make sure she still wanted me around after, you know," he gestured towards his legs.

"I am sure she will," reassured Andy. "Just don't wait too long, okay?"

"I won't," Sirius promised.

**15 March 2002**

"I found it!" shouted Aletha, her voice full of joy. "A ritual that cleanses the subject of all dark magic and purifies their heart."

"Let me see," Andy muttered as she grasped the book Aletha was reading. She couldn't get her hopes up yet, not until she had read the ritual. Not until she knew for sure. Reading through the ritual, Andy felt her heart beat up. It might work. It just might work. When she reached the bottom, she turned to Aletha. "We need to do this on the 21st of June. Midday. It is a magically powerful day. And we need two mother's devoted to the child."

Aletha nodded, "I was thinking you and me. By the 21st of June, I will be a mother by blood, so I will count there," she explained, placing her hand across her stomach. "And as for being devoted to the child, well, hopefully me raising him and you being related to his godfather should be enough. It is the best we can do."

Andy nodded in agreement. "The potion and runes needed are quite complicated. I can start obtaining ingredients and then brew the potion, but the runes will be difficult for me. Can you do them?"

"Yes, they shouldn't be to hard. Time consuming, yes. I will start on them right away, as it will give me time to make another attempt if I mess them up."

Andy nodded in agreement, a smile spreading across her face. "This just might work. We just might have a chance."

**21 May 2002**

A very pregnant Aletha was lying on the couch when Andy flooed in. Slowly, she sat up, hand over her stomach.

"Good morning Aletha, how is the baby?" Andy asked, pulling out her wand and casting a spell.

"The baby is doing quite well, and I suspect that they will come any day now. Although, you already know that, don't you?"

Andy laughed lightly, "Yes, I couldn't help myself. Is Sirius ready?" she asked.

"Ready? He is practically bouncing off the walls in excitement. I sent him to the store with Harry just to get a moment of peace and quiet. He has had a bag packed and ready to go for over a week," Aletha moaned good-naturedly.

"Hopefully he will remain that excited once he has another set of nappies to change. I remember Ted had an uncanny ability to disappear when Nymphodora needed a changing."

"Sirius does seem to be unavailable more often than he should be. Although I cannot complain too much, he did look after Harry while I was taking my nursing classes, and will look after Lyra too when I start working this fall. Part of me thinks he is bored."

Andy nodded, "He may well be, he was always off chasing bad guys during the war. He may love you, Harry, and the baby dearly, but he is not the type of guy to sit around doing nothing."

"I agree. But now, enough gossip. I know you must have started the ritual potion this morning. How is it going?" Aletha said, sobering up.

"It looks good. It now has to simmer for a month. It will be ready the morning of and will last for twelve hours. How are the runes?"

"They are almost done. I figured I would have far less time after the baby is born," Aletha responded. "As for Sirius and the baby, I have arranged a plan. I had Sirius schedule his next doctor's appointment for the 21st, in the morning. He will likely be gone until at least early afternoon. As for the baby, Remus has agreed to babysit, he thinks Harry has an appointment."

"Good," nodded Andy. "Since we haven't told Sirius yet, I don't want to tell him unless this fails."

"Agreed. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to pee again."

**21 June 2002**

Andy finished spreading the flower petals out into a circle as Aletha placed the rune-covered platform in the center. It was time to begin. Reaching into her bag, Andy pulled out a small vile of light blue potion and motioned for Aletha to bring Harry over. "Hey buddy," she asked, "can you drink this for me and your mummy?"

Harry nodded, and opened his mouth as Andy slowly poured the potion in. "Yucky," he said softly, his features screwed up in disgust.

"I'm sorry, Harry," responded Aletha, "after me and Aunt Andy do some magic with you we can go inside and have a cookie, alright?"

Harry nodded eagerly as the mention of cookies and happily followed the two witches to the center of the circle. "Harry, can you sit right here?" Andy asked, pointing to the center of the rune inscription. Harry nodded and sat down, looking in interest at the carved platform.

Drawing their wands, the two witches stood on opposite sides of Harry and began chanting:

With earth and air

Spirit, fire and sea

Through the elements

I now cleanse this child

Through their virtues which I extoll

Darkness I now remove from his soul

By earth and air

Spirit, fire and sea

For the good of all, blessed be

A bright, golden-white light spilled out of the tips of their wands, and formed a dome around Harry. Holding tightly to their wands, Aletha and Andy could feel the magic searching for their intentions. Pushing all of their love towards Harry into their wands, they suddenly felt the magic fly forward and attack Harry. For a moment, they grew concerned, until they saw the magic center itself around his scar.

After a few minutes, the magic began to struggle against them again, and they watched in horror as a black mist poured out of Harry's scar and fought against the golden magic. Again, they pushed all of their love and happiness into the spell and watched transfixed as the gold began beating the mist, until the mist finally disappeared. As soon as the black mist disappeared, the magic relaxed, and faded until it could no longer be seen.

Sensing the ritual was done, Aletha rushed forward to Harry, who was laying on the platform, unconscious. She quickly cast a diagnostic spell, and then relaxed. "He is just unconscious, not hurt," she reassured Andy.

"And the soul fragment?"

Aletha cast another spell, and then visibly relaxed as she read the results. "It's gone," she cried, hugging Harry tightly. "It's really, truly, gone."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I based the wording of the cleansing ritual on a wiccan one. If anyone has any suggestions on how to improve/change it, let me know.


	11. The Wedding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I would like to remind you that I do not own Harry Potter. It all belongs to JK Rowling. Also, I borrowed the name Aletha from whatdoyouneedtoknows's Dangerverse because I think it is a beautiful name. If you haven't read the dangerverse stories, you should. They are amazing.

 

**18 Aug 2002**

Sirius was enjoying himself immensely. Over the last few months, he had become friends with his neighbor, Dan Granger. When Dan found out he was getting married, he volunteered to organize a bachelor's party (knowing they couldn't do something to wild as Aletha wanted Sirius home and sober by morning). Since the rest of Sirius's friends were wizards, he agreed. Dan's plan had been amazing. Sirius, Dan, Remus, Ted, and Frank met in London that morning, and went to a pub for lunch. They were now at Stamford Bridge, watching a Chelsea vs. Southampton match. Ted had been disappointed it was not West Ham, but was enjoying himself all the same.

At half time, Dan got up to grab some more beers, leaving the four wizards behind. "I am still a little confused on the rules," began Frank. "Could you explain the offsides rules again?"

"Sure," began Ted. "So basically, if the offensive player is in front of both the ball and the second to last defender…"

Sirius zoned him out as he turned to Remus. "So Moony, what do you think of the match?"

"It's a lot of fun," replied Remus. "Less worrying about whether someone is going to fall off their broom and die. Much better on the nerves."

"Moony, I think you fundamentally misunderstand the point of sports. You are supposed to be nervous about what is going to happen next. It is part of the fun!"

"Still, I prefer not having to worry about people plummeting to their deaths. Besides, it is a much better balanced game than quidditch. You actually have to work as a team in order to win, rather than simply waiting for your seeker to catch the snitch."

Sirius sighed, "You don't just wait for the seeker. The beaters have to help keep the other team from scoring while the chasers try to rack up points."

"The snitch is still worth too much," Remus added, as he pulled out his book on the history of the Premier League. Sirius sighed again and gave up. Moony really was more of a books sort of person.

After the match (Chelsea won much to Dan's disappointment), they headed out to another pub. Sitting down with a tray of chips, and a pitcher of beer, Dan grew excited when the pub announced a trivia competition was about to begin.

"Come on guys! We've got to play. It will be loads of fun," Dan begged.

Sirius looked at Frank. As the two purebloods, even if he had been living muggle for the past few months, they had the most chance standing out. Frank nodded, so Sirius agreed. "Sure, but I hope you are good at science!"

At the end of the trivia night, Sirius felt proud of their group. Thanks to Remus's love of literature, including muggle books, his knowledge of languages and philosophy (thanks to the Black tutors), Ted's love of muggle sports, and Dan's science knowledge, they had done reasonably well. Better yet, they hadn't embarrassed themselves or stood out too much.

Heading outside, Ted hailed a cab and he, Sirius, and Dan hopped in. Bath was too far to drive, and nobody was sober enough to apparate, so they were crashing at Ted's place. Remus was catching the tube back to his flat, and Frank had a portkey home. All in all, the men left, having thoroughly enjoyed the night.

**23 Aug 2002**

Aletha looked into the mirror, examining her dress. It was floor length, tight through the bodice and flowing outwards at the waist. Sleeveless, it revealed far more than a wizard style dress would. She held up the edge of her dress, and looked down at her feet. Light blue toenails peaked out from sparkly white heals of about three inches. The extra inches would make her only four inches shorter than Sirius, at five foot nine. Letting down her dress, she examined her makeup and hair. She had gone with Emma earlier in the day to a hip muggle hair salon in downtown. He hair had been straightened, then pulled into a tight bun on the lower right hand side of her head with a small lily poking out. She had opted for a light makeup application, with only a small amount of blush and lipstick. The highlight was faint blue eye shadow above her eyes. She loved it.

Her mother entered the bedroom, carrying the veil. She had originally been against one, but Sirius said it was a usual wizarding custom. Since they were already ignoring most of those, she had decided to go with one.

"It's almost time, Sweetie," her mother announced, helping Aletha put the veil on.

"I know mum. I can't believe I am getting married in less than an hour." Aletha responded, smiling at her mother. Her mum had been slightly confused, but ecstatic to help her daughter plan a muggle wedding. She had thought when her daughter when off to Hogwarts at age eleven, that she would never see her again.

"I can. After all, you've already had his child," her mum chastised fondly. While her mum had originally been upset about Lyra being born out of wedlock, her concerns disappeared when she had visited in early June. She had seen how happy Aletha and Sirius were, not to mention the ring on Aletha's finger and the invitation to the wedding.

Andy entered the room, carrying the bouquets of flowers. "Oh my, you look gorgeous," Andy gushed, taking in Aletha. "Sirius is one lucky man."

"That he is," agreed Aletha's mother. "Are they ready for us?"

"Yes, Alice is outside, telling Neville to behave. Nymphadora has promised to behave herself, and has finally stopped complaining about the dress and hair."

Aletha laughed. When Dora had been told she had to keep her hair natural colored for the wedding, she had been devastated. Her original plan had been to cycle through the colors of the wedding, letting her metamorphagus talents shine. Unfortunately, between Aletha's family, the Grangers, Remus's new muggle girlfriend, and various other muggle friends Aletha and Sirius had made over the last nine months, there were too many muggles around for magic. Not to mention, Amelia Bones, second in command of the DMLE was presiding over the ceremony.

Alice entered the room, a giant smile across her face. "It's time. Sirius is at the alter with Remus, Frank, and Ted." Addressing Aletha, she continued, "Your father is waiting to walk you down the aisle. I must say, I think he is more nervous than Sirius and you combined." Aletha smiled, that sounded like her father.

Sirius felt his heart speed up when the string quartet starting playing _The Wedding March_ and the doors opened to reveal Aletha. As she walked down the aisle, arm on her father, Sirius felt himself fall in love all over again. She was absolutely stunning. When Aletha reached the alter, he had to stop himself from leaning over and kissing her right then and there.

As neither was particularly religious, Sirius and Aletha had opted to have Amelia Bones preside over the marriage, therefore making it official in both the wizarding and muggle worlds. Amelia cleared her throat and began.

"We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of Sirius Orion Black and Aletha May Freeman…" she began. Sirius stared at Aletha, lost in her eyes. When it finally came time for him to read his vows, Remus had to poke him subtly to gather his attention. Smiling sheepishly, he began. "I Sirius Orion Black, stand here with free and unconstrained soul. I give you all I am in heart and in magic. Take this ring, and with it my promise of faith, patience, and love, for the rest of my life." Remus handed him the ring, and balancing himself carefully on his crutch, he slid the ring onto her finger, watching as it magically shrank to fit her finger.

Aletha responded, "I Aletha May Freeman, stand here with free and unconstrained soul. I give you all I am in heart and in magic. Take this ring, and with it my promise of faith, patience, and love, for the rest of my life." She too, took the ring from Sirius and slid it onto Sirius's finger. As soon as the ring was in place, Sirius felt his magic swirl around him and reach out to greet Aletha's. Coming together at the center of the alter, there was a quick flash of golden light.

Amelia looked at both of them and said, "I know pronounce you husband and wife. Sirius, you may now kiss the bride."

Leaning forward ever so slightly, Sirius did just that. Wrapping his free hand around Aletha, he brought her close and kissed her passionately, enjoying the feeling of his new wife. As everyone began clapping, they separated, and Sirius grabbed onto Aletha's arm with his free hand. "I got you," she whispered into his ear as they carefully and slowly made their way down the aisle. Reaching the back door of the hall, they climbed into one of the limos.

The reception was held at the impressive Longbottom Manor, in the main ballroom and garden. As the band began to play, Sirius held his hand out for Aletha. Pulling her onto his lap, he wheeled on the dance floor, spinning around in time to the music. Using a bit of wandless magic, he impevioused her dress to prevent it from being ruined.

"You cheat," she whispered, "no magic, remember?"

Grinning, he kissed her on the check and whispered back, "would you like me to let such a beautiful dress get ruined?" Seeing her shake her head in the negative, he continued. "I thought so. Now, let me enjoy the divine figure of my lovely life."

Smiling contentedly, Aletha did just that, leaning in closer as the song concluded. As the next song started, the rest of the guests made their way onto the dance floor, but Sirius and Aletha didn't notice. Only when Aletha's dad approached to ask her for a dance, did she break away from her new husband.

Leaving his wife to dance with her father, Sirius made his way to the bar, where Remus was sitting next to an attractive brunet. Ordering himself a whiskey, he turned to the woman. "So, are you the lovely lady that has captured my best man's affections?" He asked.

The woman smiled. "Amy, Amy Haverson. And yes, I am Remus's date for the night."

"For the night?" smirked Sirius, "I hardly think it is just for the night. Moony here is a shy one. If he brought you here to suffer through meeting me, he must quite like you. Where did you meet, if you don't mind me asking?"

"In a Celtic History class, at Oxford. After several hours of invigorating discussion, I asked Remus on a date. He agreed, although we spent most of it in a little bookshop."

Remus smiled awkwardly, "It was a lovely bookshop."

"Oh, I agree. The smell of books permeating the air, haphazard stacks everywhere, a charming alcove to read in… I could have stayed there all day. Unfortunately, Remus had to depart shortly before dark."

Remus looked at Sirius, conveying that Amy was not in the know about his "furry little problem." Sirius gave a bark like laugh. "Moony, my friend, I do believe you might have found you match." As the song ended, Sirius nodded his farewell, and made his way back across the room to the dance floor.

After a few hours of dancing and a delicious wedding cake, Sirius and Aletha were at the door, saying their goodbyes.

"Now," began Aletha's mum. "I have everything I need to take care of Lyra and Harry overnight. Since you just feed Lyra, she will be fine with formula until the morning. I know you two plan on taking a nice long honeymoon together when Lyra is older, but enjoy tonight just the same." She smiled fondly, "After all, one only plans to get married once in their lifetime. Now off with you!" With a good nature wave, she shooed the two of them into the car, and they set off.

Once they were out of sight of the Manor, the car pulled over. Taking out a glass paperweight, Sirius asked, "Are you ready?"

"Yes," replied Aletha.

"Very well. Honeymoon time." And with that, the portkey activated, and the two of them felt themselves swirled around, finally landing (somewhat ungracefully in Sirius's case), at the entrance to an elegant, yet quaint bed and breakfast. As they headed up the path towards the entrance, a kind looking woman greeted them.

"Mr. and Mrs. Black?" She asked. "My name is Emmeline Stone. Welcome to Highland House. Let me show you to your room." Leading them down he hall, she stopped outside an intricately carved wooden door. Opening it, she gestured inside and Aletha gasped.

"Oh, its beautiful!" she cried, looking around. The left wall was entirely windows and opened out into a small patio, proving a stunning view of the grounds. In the middle of the room, there was a large, wooden, four poster bed, surrounded by a rich chocolate curtain. The posts themselves were carved to match the door and were intricately designed. Running her hand down a post, she turned to the right wall, where the entrance to the bathroom was located. Quickly crossing the room to look inside, she saw a large tub, walk in shower (with room for two), sink, and loo.

Aletha finished exploring the room to find Sirius now inside, the door closed behind him. She walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek. "Why don't you get ready for bed," she suggested, "I'll be waiting for you."

Sirius grinned and grabbed his bag. Heading into the bathroom, he responded, "I'm looking forward to it."

Sirius awoke to the feeling of his wife (it was exciting to say that) curled up against him. Rolling over, he kissed her gently on the neck.

"Morning," she mumbled sleepily.

"Morning sweetheart," he responded, running his hand between her breasts. "Did you sleep well?"

"Wonderfully, you?"

"Never better. I spent the entire night with the knowledge that I had my wife by my side."

"Hmm, you know how to sweet talk, don't you," she replied, as Sirius hand cupped her breast gently. "Looking for more, are you?"

"Mhm," he replied.

"Then more you shall have," she whispered as she rolled on over onto Sirius.

By the time the couple made it to breakfast, the sun was high in the sky. Enjoying the simple pleasure of a delicious English breakfast, they sat in companionable silence. After all the food was eaten, and tea drunk, Sirius spoke up.

"We have a few hours until we are expected to be back. Do you want to explore the countryside? The grounds look absolutely stunning," he asked.

"That sounds lovely. Shall we head out then?"

Nodding, Sirius led the way out the back door, into the garden. Following the stone path, the couple snaked their way through the flowers, ending at a small pond. Conjuring a picnic blanket and some cushions, Sirius transferred down onto the ground, where Aletha joined him.

"You know, this reminds me of how you proposed," stated Aletha. "A conjured picnic blanket in the middle of a garden. You don't have anything planned do you?"

Sirius laughed, "No, sorry. Should I have?"

"No, I think we did just fine last night and this morning. Let's just sit here for a little bit."

"Okay," agreed Sirius, as they leaned into each other. "That sounds perfect." The two sat on the picnic blanket, looking out across the pond and listening to the birds. As far as they were concerned, life was perfect.


	12. Motorcycles and Werewolves

**5 Sep 2002**

Sirius ran his hand over the new workbench he had installed in the garage. Laid on top of it were his brand new tools, a wedding gift from Dan. (Aletha was not aware of the tools as of yet). He looked at his watch. 1:10. Frank would be arriving in about five minutes. With his motorcycle. Oh how he had missed it. He had ridden it over to Longbottom Manor the night of James and Lily's death, but it had been left there ever since. About two week ago, Frank had stumbled across it in the shed. After a few floo calls for planning purposes, they had found a time where Aletha would be out of the house with Harry and Lyra. Frank would turn it into a one use portkey and bring it into the garage.

He checked his watch again. 1:14. Backing up against the wall, he gave Frank as much room as possible to appear. About a minute later, Frank and the bike came swirling into the room, landing with a slight thud.

"Afternoon Sirius!" called Frank, stepping away from the bike.

"Good afternoon. Did Alice see you leave?"

"Nope, she was upstairs when I told her I was flooing over. Never suspected a thing."

Sirius nodded in relief. Both Aletha and Alice thought the bike was a death trap and were adamantly opposed to its mere existence. Sirius had tried to argue that it was perfectly safe (sticking charms and cushioning charms), but neither had listened. Hence the need for secrecy. Sirius approached the bike, and began looking it over, running his hands over all the varius parts, muttering slightly under his breath. "It's a little rusty. I'll need to do some basic maintainance before we move onto the modifications."

"Ok," replied Frank, "I'm going to grab a beer. Want one?"

"Sure. There are some in the fridge."

Frank nodded and headed inside, leaving Sirius alone. While he supported Sirius in his efforts to modify the bike so he could ride again, he really knew very little about motorcycles and such.

About three hours and a lot of grease later, Sirius declared the bike ready.

"Aletha will be home in about an hour, so we don't have time to start modifying it, but the bike itself is in good shape now. Let's levitate it over to the corner and disillusion it. She won't park the car in here, so that won't be a problem, but I don't want her to see it just yet."

A few minutes later, the two had the garage looking clean and empty as it was before. While Frank headed home, Sirius hoped into the shower to wash off all the oil and grease.

**15 Sep 2002**

"Padfoot?" called Remus through the floo. "You home?" He waited a moment, head stuck in the floo, knowing that if there were any muggles in the house Aletha or Sirius would have locked the floo. A moment later, Sirius entered the office.

"Moony! What's up? Do you want to come through?"

"That would be great, just give me a moment." Remus withdrew his head and a moment later stepped out of the floo. "I was hoping…" he trailed off, embarrassed.

"For?"

"Some advice. About a girl."

Sirius barked in laughter. "Oh Moony! I have been waiting for this day ever since you admitted you knew what a girl was in fourth year. Come on, let's go to the living room. Padfoot, ladies killer, is here at you service!"

Remus nodded, and followed Sirius out of the office into the living room. He waited for a moment as Sirius transferred to the couch then took in a deep breath. "I don't know what to do about the whole, you know, magic werewolf thing," he began hesitantly. "I love her, Padfoot, but she is a muggle. And the transformations, well, they have been really rough this last year."

Sirius nodded sadly and ran his hands through his hair. "I know. Moony lost his pack, and I can't even help. I tried," he sank his head into his hands, "I tried, but Padfoot can't run with Moony anymore. He is just as broken."

Silence for a moment, then Remus said quietly, "I don't blame you at all Sirius. You are still here for me, even if we can't run together at the full moon. Besides, either Aletha or Andy comes by every moon and patches me up after. I just wish…" he trailed off. There was no need to finish his wish. It was the same as always.

A few minutes of silence passed, then Sirius broke the tension. "But back to the girl. Is she the woman you brought to my wedding?"

"Yes, Amy. She is remarkable. So intelligent and kind. And she has a sharp sense of humor. I love her Padfoot, I really do."

Sirius smiled mischievously. "Well, if you really love her, then I need to get to know her better. Only the best of the best for my Moony. She needs to be interrogated."

Remus cut him off. "NO! You will not dose my girlfriend with veritaserum!"

"Dose her? Who said anything about veritaserum? Lighten up, Moony. I would never do such a thing!"

"You threatened to dose Lily. Even made a plan to steal some from Professor Slughorn," Remus responded with a growl.

"Ah yes, Old Sluggy and his lovely potion stores. Useful for many a prank. But back to my point, that was different. Lily had James bewitched. Well, at least I thought so. I mean, Prongs was obsessed!"

Remus sighed. "Okay, if not veritaserum, then what?"

"Why Remus, you are forgetting what I have at my disposal here."

"And that is?"

"A wife who likes to gossip and two small, adorable children who are bound to suss out any and all future mothers," Sirius replied with a grin. It was the perfect plan. Invite Remus and his girlfriend over for dinner, then he and Remus would disappear into the living room, letting the girls gossip about girly things. Sirius could then get Aletha to relay the information and determine if this Amy was good enough for Remus.

"Fine. Dinner with the mad mutt and his family it is. When will this happen?"

"Maybe next weekend? I'll have to ask Aletha."

**20 Sep 2002**

Aletha was placing the finishing touches on the salad as Sirius set the table when there was a knock on the door. Placing the last plate down, Sirius shouted, "I'll get it!" and raced over to the door. Opening the door he exclaimed "Remus! Come in!"

Remus entered, with Amy close behind him. "Er, right. Hi Sirius, Aletha."

"It's nice to meet you again Sirius," added Amy. Pulling out a bottle of wine, she handed it to Sirius, "I thought a little wine might go well with the meal."

Placing the bottle on his lap, Sirius replied, "I agree. Sit down, relax. Moony knows the house. I'm just going to grab Harry and Lyra. They should be waking up around now." Stopping by the kitchen to give the wine to Aletha, he headed down the hall to grab Harry and Lyra.

A few minutes later Sirius returned with Lyra in the baby sling and a very excited Harry running ahead of him. "MOO"EY!" squealed Harry as he lauched himself at Remus's legs.

"Hey cub, how are you doing?"

"I dwew picta! Daddy, show?" Harry responded, turning to Sirius.

"Sure, it's on the table over there," Sirius said, pointing to a small, colorful kids table in the corner.

Harry went running off to the table and grabbed a piece of paper off of it. Returning to Remus he held it out proudly until Remus took it. "It's lovely cub," Remus said, looking at the colorful scribbles and swirls. "Can I introduce you to someone?" Harry nodded, so Remus picked him up, placing him on his lap. "You are getting pretty big, aren't you."

"I big boy!" exclaimed Harry happily, squirming on Remus lap until he found a comfortable position.

"Yes you are. Harry, I want you to meet my girlfriend, Amy."

"Hi," whispered Harry shyly.

"Hi Harry," replied Amy. Turning to Sirius, she added, "he is really cute. How old is he?"

"A little over two years. As you can see he is quite fond of Remus here."

Entering the room, Aletha added, "Remus was a huge help when we moved in last year. He stayed here while Siri was in the hospital. Harry is actually Siri's godson, although we have officially adopted him. He had just come to live with us when Sirius was injured. I'm not sure what I would have done without Remus here."

Remus smiled awkwardly, "It was nothing. Harry's parents were my friends as well."

"Besides," Sirius added, lightening the mood, "He got away with living here for three months without paying rent."

"It 's true," replied Remus, "the no rent was quite nice."

Amy laughed and wrapped her arm around Remus. "Yes, we all know how much you hate paying rent."

After dinner was cleared and the children had been put to bed, Remus and Sirius retreated to back porch, leaving the girls to gossip inside. Pulling out a thin magazine, Sirius cleared his throat. "So, Andy found something she wanted to show. Since you are here tonight, I figured I could." He handed Remus the magazine, _Potions Monthly_ and waited for Remus to read the bookmarked article.

"Is this real?" asked Remus, disbelief evident in his voice. "Have they really created a potion that will let me keep my mind when I transform?"

"Yup. Right there. The wolfsbane potion."

"But, it is so expensive, and hard to brew…"

"No worried," replied Sirius, "Andy loves brewing difficult potions and has already stated she wants to brew it for you. As for the cost, well the reason it is expensive is some of the ingredients are quite rare. And well, we happen to know someone who produces many of these ingredients."

"We do?" asked Remus, starting to get excited at the possibility of actually taking the wolfsbane potion. "Who?"

"Frank. Apparently one of the Longbottom properties grows a bunch of these ingredients. We already spoke to him as well. Remus, there is no getting out of this. Andy will be brewing you this potion. You will be taking it. It is the least we can do for you to help with the transformations."

Pulling Sirius into a tight hug, Remus began crying tears of joy. "Thank you Sirius, thank you so much. This means everything to me. I cannot express how much this means."

"I know," whispered Sirius, "I know."

**2 Oct 2002**

It had taken almost a month, but Sirius was confident he had made all the necessary modifications to his motorcycle. Originally, he had planned to simply use sticking charms to secure himself to the bike, but last week Dan had found out about the project and come up with a brilliant solution. Velcro. So now, Sirius was sitting next the bike, while Frank watched.

"Okay, we ready?" asked Sirius.

"Ready," replied Frank, holding his wand. He was on safety duty if anything went wrong. Aletha was, yet again, out of the house. (she had taken the children to Alice's for a playdate).

"Good. Let's do this then." Sirius carefully transferred himself to the seat of the bike. This was where he had used lots of magic. Plenty of stabilization charms kept the bike in place as he maneuvered one leg over seat and Velcroed them in place. Turning his head towards Frank, with a large grin, he said, "Right, helmet?"

Frank handed the helmet over, and Sirius put in on. Flipping a switch, he started the engine, and giving a thumbs up, shifted the bike into gear. The stabilizing charms fell, and Sirius took off, flying out of the garage onto the open road.

Stepping out of the garage, Frank watched the man who had quickly become his best friend went tearing down the road. Sirius was shouting for joy as he turned the motorcycle around and went flying back down the road towards Frank. He seemed so happy and free on the bike, and it reminded Frank of the quidditch games where he had watched James and Sirius fly with reckless abandon. Standing there, thinking about quidditch, he decided he needed to find a way to let Sirius fly a broom again.

About half an hour later, Sirius returned to the driveway and shut the bike off, reactivating the stabilizing charms.

"How was it?" asked Frank, knowing the answer.

"Absolutely brilliant! I just need to wait for nighttime now so I can take it for a fly."

"Are you planning on telling Aletha about the bike?"

Sirius deflated slightly, "Yah, I figured I should probably let her know now that we know it works. I mean, she was okay with it before."

Frank laughed, okay with the bike might have been a stretch. Both Aletha and Lily had lectured Sirius endlessly about both the danger of riding it and the illegality of a flying motorcycle. But, he figured after Aletha saw how happy the bike made Sirius she would let up. "Right, let's get it into the garage. You can ride to your heart's content after you tell Aletha, but I don't want to be here if she catches you before."

"Alright," Sirius sighed, as he turned the bike on again and slowly rode into the garage.


	13. Halloween

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is a short chapter, but it felt wrong to combine Halloween with what I have planned for the next chapter.

**31 Oct 2002**

Sirius woke up and immediately regretted it. Today it had been one year since James and Lily died. One year since his world turned upside-down. Groaning, he rolled back over, desperately hoping to fall back asleep and forget about the day. Unfortunately, the world conspired against him, and he moaned as the sounds of both Harry and Lyra stirring brought him to his senses. Rubbing his eyes, he sat up and looked over to Aletha. She was still sleeping, peacefully lying with her head under her pillow. Kissing her gently, he got up and headed down the hall to Lyra's room.

"Morning sweetheart," me whispered as she stared up at him with bright brown eyes. "Let's get you up and changed, shall we?" As he was finishing dressing her in tights and a red dress, a sleepy Harry wandered into the room.

"Daddy?" asked Harry, trying to climb onto Sirius's lap. He had recently graduated to a toddler's bed and now came searching for either Sirius or Aletha in the morning.

"Yes Harry?"

"Bad dweam," Harry sniffed, successfully pulling himself onto Sirius's lap.

"It's okay," Sirius soothed, "You are awake now. Daddy is here. Do you want to head to the kitchen and get breakfast?" A nod. "Can you walk for Daddy? I have to carry Lyra."

"No walk!" cried Harry snuggling into Sirius's chest.

Sirius sighed; maybe Harry realized the importance of today. He normally wasn't so clingy. Gently, he moved Harry a little bit to his side and put on the baby sling. Making sure Harry wouldn't crush her, he settled Lyra against his chest. Looking down at himself, he cracked a small smile. If only James could see him know, covered in small children. If only.

Around noon, Remus came over, bottle of firewhiskey in hand.

"Thought you might need this," he explained, sitting down in the living room and summoning two glasses.

Sirius nodded. "Aletha took Harry to the park with Lyra. She wanted to give me some time to brood."

Pouring two generous glasses of firewhiskey, Remus ran his hands through his hair. "I can't believe it has been a year already."

"Nor can I. Can you imagine what James and Lily must think of us now, looking down from above?"

Remus laughed. "Prongs would mock you for getting married. You are after all, the one who swore to never get married back in third year."

"Can you blame me? I had just watched Narcissa and Malfoy marry. Bellatrix was engaged to Lestrange, and Andy was blown off the family tree for marrying someone. The Blacks and happy marriage are not things that go together."

"And you and Aletha?"

"I'm an honorary Potter. They marry for love."

There was a moment of silence as the two men drank a glass of firewhiskey.

"Remember the time James got smashed and changed into Prongs?" Remus asked, nostalgia all over his face.

Sirius barked in laughter, "he couldn't transform back and got his antlers stuck in the curtains. I was laughing my head off."

"And I was frantically trying to find a way to transform him back before someone came into the room. All while trying to stop you from changing as well."

"Or the time we made it snow in the Great Hall?"

"Professor McGonagall was furious. I thought we were going to have detention until the end of the year."

"But Minnie couldn't prove it was us, so she just stared and kept repeating 'I know it was you, I know it was you.'"

The two sat around, drinking a reminiscing until Aletha returned from the park to find both lying on the couch drunkenly.

"Okay, up you two get. We have places to be," Aletha said.

"Places?" questioned Sirius as he sat up slowly.

"Yes, unless you did not want to visit James and Lily's graves."

A tear fell down Sirius's cheek. "I thought I wouldn't be able to…"

"Nonsense. Nobody will be looking for us there. Besides, Moody and Frank are in on the plan. Now get up you two."

Remus stood, swaying slightly, while Sirius attempted to transfer to his chair, only to sway even more than Remus. "Seems I don't hold my liquor as well as I used to," he slurred.

Aletha frowned. "Stay right there you two," she commanded as she went into the kitchen and pulled out two sobering potions. Handing one to Remus and one to Sirius, she watched as they drank, grimaced, and immediately perked up.

"Thanks," muttered Sirius.

"Your welcome. Now, put the bottle and glasses away. The portkey leaves in ten minutes.

Ten minutes later, the five on them landed in the center of Godric's Hollow. Several people were milling about, but nobody paid them much attention. Quickly, Aletha cast a few basic glamours and they headed towards the gravesite.

"We should be fine. Frank tipped the DMLE off on you possible location. Somewhere near Berlin. Add that to the fact that Moody is helping him stand guard in case you visit today…"

Sirius finished, "nobody would imagine I could just walk right up. Add that to the fact that people don't know about my injury…"

"Yes," finished Aletha. Arriving at the graveyard, she pointed up the hill. "They are just up there. Go on ahead Sirius. You can bring Harry. I'll be along in a few minutes."

Sirius nodded, and placed Harry in his lap. "Come along pup, lets go say hi to your mum and dad."

"Mama and Dada?" asked Harry, familiar with his daddy's stories of his other mum and dad.

"Yes. Mama and Dada."

Reaching the gravestone, Sirius looked at the inscription and cried.

_James Potter_

_BORN 27 MARCH 1980_

_DIED 31 OCTOBER 2001_

_Lily Potter_

_BORN 30 JANUARY 1980_

_DIED 31 OCTOBER 2001_

_The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death_

"Hello James, hello Lily. It's me, Sirius. I'm sorry, so sorry. I should have done it. I should have been your secret keeper. I would have died rather than betray you. It's all my fault," he sobbed. "It's all my fault you are dead." A moment or two passed, and he sniffed, rubbing the tears from his eyes. "But that is probably not what you want to hear. I bet you never saw this coming James, but I got married. To Aletha. We have a daughter. Lyra Lily. Named after you, Lils. The next one is yours James. I tried to name her Elvindork, but Aletha said no. So Harry has a sister.

As for Harry, I adopted him officially. In the muggle world. That's where I'm living now a day. In a nice suburban home in Bath." He laughed slightly, "I know, my worst nightmare. I wanted Harry to feel like he was truly part of the family. It's not a magical adoption, so he is still a Potter. When he gets older, I will ask him what he wants his last name to be. I hope you don't mind."

Turning to Harry, he asked, "Do you want to say anything to Mama and Dada?"

"Hi Mama, hi Dada," Harry begin. "I big boy now. I dwew picta with mummy for you." He held up a piece of paper that Sirius hadn't noticed until then.

"Do you want to leave it for them?" Sirius asked.

"Otay."

Lifting Harry off his lap, he placed him on the ground in front of the grave. "If you place it right there," he said pointing, "then Mama and Dada will see."

Harry nodded, and placed the picture on the ground in front of their graves. As Harry was climbing back onto Sirius's lap, Aletha appeared with Remus.

"Do you want to leave flowers?" asked Aletha, placing her hand on Sirius's shoulder.

"Yah, lilies sound perfect. And some snapdragons. James thought they had the coolest name of all the flowers."

Aletha nodded. "Can you transfigure permanently?"

"Yah," he said, pulling out his wand. Remus gathered some sticks and transfigured them into the flowers.

As he placed them down next to Harry's picture, Aletha added some charms. "So they will last forever," she added.

"Did you want to say anything?" he asked Remus and Aletha.

Remus shook his head. "I was here this morning, before I came over. I told Prongs all about your parenting failures."

Sirius shook his head. "I'll have you know I'm a brilliant dad."

"Sure," Remus responded as the group headed out of the graveyard. As they reached the entrance, Sirius saw Moody from behind a tree give a small nod. He figured Moody had made sure they remained alone while visiting the grave.


	14. Operation Disgrace Dumbledorks: Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the books, Arcturus Black is listed as dying in 1991 (2011 in my story). I changed this because if he was Lord Black (which it looks like he would have been), then he needs to die for Sirius to take the title. I wanted that to happen sooner rather than later.

**7 July 2002**

Andromeda pulled out a quill and parchment, carefully laying them out in front of herself. "Right, let's get started," she began, turning to Frank and Ted. "There are several things that we need to address. First, clearing Sirius's name. Frank?"

Frank cleared his throat and began, "Since all the evidence is circumstantial, it really shouldn't be a problem to clear his name. Unfortunately, Dumbledore has turned on Sirius, and has stated, in front of the Wizengamont no less, that Sirius was the Potter's secret keeper. With Dumbledore's testimony and Sirius being a Black, it is doubtful anyone would listen to him. While I can testify as to his role in the attack on November 1st, I fear it won't be enough."

"What about veritaserum and pensive memories?" questioned Ted.

"Useless, I'm afraid. While it would work on Sirius, Dumbledore has implied in the past that he can lie under veritaserum," Frank sighed, "As for pensive memories, both Dumbledore and Sirius are highly skilled in occlumency. They would both likely have the ability to fake memories."

"Dumbledore said he can lie under veritaserum?" asked Andy, distressed at the news.

"I believe so. When James and I questioned him about how he could protect the knowledge of the prophecy, he merely assured us that 'even veritaserum could not make me spill what I did not want to share.'"

Andy frowned, she had never heard of someone lying under veritaserum before. Giving false evidence because that was what the witness truly believed, yes. Outright lies, no. But if he could, they couldn't take the chance. If the wizengamont heard two conflicting testimonies under veritaserum, they would merely assume Sirius had found some dark magic to overcome it.

"What about Pettigrew?" piped in Ted. "If he were questioned as well, then it would be Sirius and Pettigrew's word against Dumbledore. Surely then they would clear Sirius."

Frank sighed again. There really was no good way to break the news. "Pettigrew is missing, believed dead since mid November. It was kept quiet, but blamed on Sirius. Besides, they would never agree to question Pettigrew under veritaserum. Between Dumbledore and the former Death Eaters, they would want Sirius to found guilty."

"So that they could take control of Harry," Andy added, seeing Ted's confusion. "With the rest of the Potter family being dead, Harry's closest wizarding relatives are the Blacks. If Sirius is in jail…" she trailed off nervously.

"The Malfoy's, via Narcissa, would have a legitimate claim for custody," Frank finished. "We cannot let that happen. It might even be worse than Petunia raising him."

"So then what?" asked Ted.

"We discredit Dumbledore. Air his dirty laundry. We amass power in Wizengamont, behind the scenes, and then pounce all at once. We prove Pettigrew is a Death Eater, have him admit to being the secret keeper. Only once that information is out there do we move to clear Sirius."

"Gain power in the Wizengamont," began Frank, "but the only power we have is the Longbottom seat. Dumbledore has seized control of the Potter seat, stating it is imperative that Sirius does not have that power." Andy grinned, knowingly. "You have a plan, don't you?"

"Yes. The Black alliance." Frank and Ted frowned in confusion. Not only was the Black alliance historically dark, but Sirius was no longer the heir. "I looked into this earlier in the week. It turns out Arcturus never formally disowned Sirius. When he dies, which I believe will be soon, Sirius will take over as Lord Black. Without revealing who the new Lord Black is, we can seize control of the Black alliance. They won't question anything until it is too late."

"Bloody hell," muttered Frank, "you want to use their own political power against them."

"I do."

"Sirius will hate you for this. The last thing he wants to be is Lord Black."

**1 Aug 2002**

"You," Sirius shouted, "have a lot to explain, Andromeda Tonks!"

Andy cringed as a highly irate Sirius entered her office. She had been surprised he had not exploded at her when he found out about everything at the party. Not that it made his current state of anger any less frightening. When Sirius was mad, truly and genuinely mad, he was every bit a Black.

"My son was a horocrux, A HOROCRUX, and you did not tell me. Not only that, but you performed and ancient and UNKNOWN ritual on him! Yes, Aletha spilled everything last night. I might have been calm last night, but know I know everything. And I am MAD!"

Andy felt Sirius's words sting. She stood by her and Aletha's decision to not tell him, she would make it again, but it didn't make his words hurt any less. If it had been Nymphodora… She shuddered at the thought.

Seeing the look on Andy's face, Sirius calmed slightly. "Now," he threatened, "tell me everything you know about Voldemort's horocruxes. As in plural."

Andy sighed, there was no good way to do this. "When Aletha and I removed the soul fragment from Harry's scar, I noticed it appeared a lot smaller and weaker than what the books lead me to expect. Add that to the fact that it was clearly an accidental horocrux- they require an extended ritual after the killing to make- then he must have made more."

"Only an unstable soul would have split accidentally. Even if he was planning on it," Sirius whispered, his mind focusing and anger subsiding. "I also doubt he would have waited until that night to make one if he was planning on it."

"Agreed. The question is, how many did he make? When did he make them? Where are they? And how can we find and destroy them?"

Sirius thought for moment. "Either two or six would be my guess. Three and seen are magically powerful numbers. And we look for them in the possession of inner circle members."

"That makes sense. And I know you never wanted to be Lord Black," she held up her hand as he began to protest, "but we will need that power to find the horocruxes and destroy them. To prove your innocence and protect Harry and Lyra. Don't tell me you would put them in danger and let Voldemort come back simply because you hate your family. Don't. I know it would be a lie."

"Your right," replied Sirius softly, "It's just, I spent my entire life avoiding all that. Avoiding the role of the heir. I was actually relieved in a way, when I was blasted off the tree because it meant I could avoid all of it. All the hatred, bigotry, and anger."

"You could change that," Andy said, placing her hand of Sirius's. She knew how much he had suffered in Grimmauld Place. He had suffered far more than she had. "You can turn the family around. Change what they believe. After all, your heir will be a half-blood."

Sirius smiled. "Yeah, I can do that. The white sheep of the Black family." After a moment, he added, "I could reinstate you into the family. You always were my favorite cousin."

"I would like that," Andy responded, a small amount of longing filling her heart. She would never regret her decision to marry Ted, but unlike Sirius, her relationship with the family and always been mixed. In with the bad there were plenty of moments of good. Part of her would always be a Black. And, with Sirius in charge, that could be something to be proud of again.

**18 Sept 2002**

"I now call the first meeting of Operation Disgrace Dumbledorks into session!" called Sirius from the head of the table. Gathered around were Andy, Frank, Amelia, Alastor, and Ted.

"Stupid name, Black," grumbled Moody as he pulled out his flask and took a swig.

"Still don't trust me enough to have some tea?" Frank asked with a fake pout.

"Firewhiskey, yes. Tea, no."

"Maybe after," responded Frank quietly with a conspiratorial wink.

"Regardless of the name," cut in an exasperated Amelia, "can we get on with the meeting?"

"Right, first order of business," began Sirius, "we need to start undermining the blind faith everyone has in Dumbledork."

"That's where Alice and I come in," responded Frank. "We start letting people know that Bellatrix and her crew made it through the wards unnaturally fast. They clearly knew where the ward stones were and were told how to overload the wards."

"And how does that help?" grumbled Moody.

"The only people who knew where the ward stone is are Alice, Augusta, Dumbledore, the goblins, and I."

Amelia gasped, "Do you really think he told them?" she asked, clearly disturbed.

"I honestly don't know," sighed Frank. "A year ago I would have said absolutely not, but after everything he has done regarding Harry and Sirius, I'm not so sure anymore. Besides, whether he did or not doesn't matter."

Moody piped in, "Nobody would dare blame Augusta, she loves her son far to much. And to accuse the goblins…"

"Would be to commit suicide," finished Amelia. "Very well, I can see how that would start rumors."

"How are you going to spread this without alerting the meddling old coot?" inquired Moody.

"Simple," smiled Frank, "I comment about it to Moody where Lucius can overhear. He won't hesitate to spread the information around the ministry."

"And telling me about it won't seem too odd."

"Right. As for Alice, she was going to mention how she was concerned about the safety of the manor and how she wanted to change the wards during her monthly tea."

Ted and Sirius looked at him in confusion, while Amelia nodded.

"Mrs. Brown will be there," added Frank, "she is an awful gossip."

"Any other question? Or should we move on to the next piece of information that should help destroy Dumbledore's reputation?" Andy asked.

After every one shook their heads in the negative, Amelia asked, "And would that be?"

"We talk to Bathilda Bagshot," replied Andy. "Great Aunt Cassiopeia always said she had dirt on Dumbledore thanks to Bagshot. We need to find out what."

"Indiscretions in his youth, she told me. Cassiopeia's secrets were one of the few redeeming qualities of Black family reunions," Sirius added.

"Indiscretions?" questioned Ted, "Of a legal kind?"

Sirius smirked, "Of a more personal kind. One might even say romantic."

"What's so important about that?" asked Moody. "Youthful love for a man over one hundred years old is hardly something to gossip about."

"It's more about the who. Cassiopeia indicated that Dumbledore might be into other wizards."

"While that isn't something Dumbledore wants up shouting about, it is hardly surprising, or probably even that much of a secret," interrupted Ted.

"And being queer isn't even that frowned upon," added Frank.

Swatting Sirius on the back of the head, Andy piped in, "I do believe Sirius is leading you on. The more important thing is the identity of the wizard. Cassiopeia claims it was Gellert Grindewald."

Moody, Frank, Ted, and Amelia stared.

"The Grindewald?" sputtered Frank.

"Yup!" smiled Sirius.

"Of course, we need to check. While a rumor would be bad, proven fact would be worse," reminded Andy.

"Right. So check with Bagshot on the identity of Dumbledore's young lover." Amelia shivered. "Anything else?"

"That's all for now," finished Sirius with a smile. "Once old Arcturus kicks the bucket we can use the Black seat to cause him some more problems. But for now it is just the ward stone and youthful indiscretions."

**1 Nov 2002**

Sirius slammed the newspaper onto the table in anger. "THAT BASTARD!" he yelled, causing Lyra to cry.

"Sirius Orion Black! You will not use that language in front of the children!" admonished Aletha from across the table, as she reached over to comfort Lyra.

"Sorry, Aletha," mumbled Sirius, "but you really need to read this," he said handing her the morning's paper.

Aletha picked it up, and laid it out neatly in front of her. Front and center was a giant picture of Dumbledore standing over James and Lily's graves. "That bastard," she whispered as she began to read.

_One Year Since the Fall of You-Know-Who:_

_Dumbledore Holds Moment of Silence_

_Yesterday marked the one-year anniversary of the fall of You-know-who. While the wizarding world celebrated a year of freedom, Dumbledore led a moment of silence at the Potter's gravesite in Godric's Hollow. Standing in front of the graves, he turned to the crowd of wizards and spoke, reminding everyone of the young couple who gave their lives so we could be free. In his speech, he also reminded everyone that their son, the Boy-Who-Lives, Harry James Potter, was still in the possession of the infamous Sirius Black. He asked, that while we celebrate, we remember the little boy who is still suffering. "I only hope we find Harry before it is too late," remarked Dumbledore. "To think that the boy who survived the killing curse at the hands of You-know-who now must suffer under his second in command is unthinkable."_

_We here at the Daily Prophet agree with Dumbledore, and remind the wizarding world to stay vigilant. Black is still out there, armed and dangerous. If anyone sees him, they should immediately alert the Aurors, so action can be taken. Severus Snape, former school mate of Potter and Black, stated, "I never trusted Black. He was from a family of dark wizards, and while he tried to pretend to be on the side of the light, I never believed. For instance, back in sixth year, he tried to kill me and was let off with only detention." Us at the Daily Prophet can only imagine what heartache and despair would have been avoided had Black been expelled and sent to Azkaban the first time he tried to kill._

"Bloody hell," muttered Aletha. "The nerve of those two! They are the guilty ones, not you! They should be sent to Azkaban."

Sirius held his head in his hand, "why did he have to bring up that incident?" he groaned, thinking back sixth year. He really hadn't been trying to kill Snape, hell, he knew Snape was aware Remus was a werewolf. Snape had gone into the passageway in order to get Remus killed. Dumbledore had known that. That's why he wasn't expelled.

Aletha laid her hand on Sirius's, and rubbed his fingers. "I'm so sorry Siri, I know the truth of that story. I know you aren't a murderer."

"It doesn't matter," responded Sirius, "This will only add to my guilt in the eyes of the public." Pulling his hand away, he turned from the table, heading into their room. This day was bad enough without that blasted article.


	15. Back to Work

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As to why Sirius doesn't just take a public magical oath to prove he wasn't the secret keeper, let's just call it plot. That's so boring.

 

**Nov 13 2002**

"Are you sure you will be okay?" Aletha asked, frantically looking for her car keys. "I don't have to go today."

"I'll be fine. And you do. You haven't worked in over a year and I know you are itching to go back to work. You will be fabulous. And I will be an awesome stay at home dad," Sirius responded.

"I know. I'm just nervous. I know I was a healer before, but this is different. This is a muggle hospital. Damn it! Where are my keys?" Aletha cried frantically.

"Accio Aletha's keys," called Sirius lazily, pulling out his wand. "Calm down. You will be great. You love healing and it won't be that different. Just less stupid spell accidents."

"Right. It will be fine. I'll be fine." Kissing Sirius goodbye, she left the house, leaving an amused Sirius behind.

About four hours later, Sirius was beginning to doubt his abilities as a stay at home dad. The morning had started out easy. He had feed Harry and Lyra, and then they had played in the living room. But when it had been time to put Lyra down for a nap, he had stalled. Did he leave Harry alone in the living room? Or take him with him to the nursery while he put Lyra down? Could you even leave a two-year-old alone for a few minutes? Panicked, he had been about to call Alice when he remembered he was a wizard. Taking out his wand, he performed a monitoring charm Andy had taught him (Dora had enjoyed walking off as a small child) and a tethering charm so Harry couldn't leave the living room until he got back.

A few minutes later, he returned to find Harry happily playing. Relieved, he removed the charms and sat down on the floor next to him. "Not to bad," he thought, confidence restored.

Unfortunately, the morning did not stay so easy. About and hour later, Harry asked, "Where mummy?"

"She is at work."

"Come back?"

"Yes, she will be back before dinner, Harry."

"Want mummy now!" he screamed angrily.

Sirius sighed, "She is at work pup. It's just you, me, and Lyra right now."

"Want mummy!" cried Harry again, working himself into a fit.

Sirius frowned; he wasn't quite sure what to do. He and Aletha had left Harry before, either with just one of them or with Remus, so it wasn't as if Harry had never been without Aletha before. He reached over to grab his son only to be kicked in the stomach.

"Harry James!" he yelled, "If you can't stop crying you will have to go to bed."

"No!" yelled Harry. "No bed!"

Sirius ran his hand through his hair as the monitoring charms in Lyra's room went off. "Shit," he thought. "Now what?" Letting go of his son, he transferred back into his chair as Harry tried to run off, down the hall.

"NO BED! WANT MUMMY!"

Sirius pulled out his wand. If Harry was going to run off, he was going to cheat. Casting wingardium leviosa, he held his son into place as he approached.

"You, young man, are going to bed. Right Now." Sticking a still kicking and screaming Harry to his lap, he wheeled himself into Harry's room and placed him on the bed. Casting the monitoring and tethering charm again, he added, "If you calm down, I will come let you out." Leaving the room, he closed the door and went to check on a now crying Lyra.

When Aletha returned that evening, she found a mentally and physically exhausted Sirius sleeping on the couch, Lyra in his arms and Harry by his legs. Leaning over, she woke him gently with a kiss on the check. "How was it?" she whispered in order to not wake the kids.

"Bloody exhausting. Harry decided to throw a tantrum when he found out you wouldn't be back until dinner. He went from fine to full-blown fit in less than a minute. How is that even possible? How do people do this?"

"It's called the terrible twos for a reason. And they practice. Besides, you seem to have everything under control now."

"Should have seen me around lunch time. Are you sure I can't go to work?"

"And what would you do, oh noble pureblood scion?"

"I don't know… but I'd find something."

Aletha laughed. "Keep telling yourself that. I'll make dinner."

Sirius merely nodded, yawning loudly. "It better get easier with practice," he thought.

**Dec 2 2002**

It was around noon when there was a knock on the door. Leaving Harry and Lyra on the table, Sirius went to answer the door. Opening it, he found a frazzled looking Emma holding Hermione's hand.

"Hi Sirius," began Emma.

"Hello Emma." Looking down at Hermione he added, "And hello Hermione. What can I do for you?"

Emma bit her lip, "I know it's a lot to ask from you since you already have Harry and Lyra, but could you look after Hermione for a few hours? There is an emergency at the surgery and I'm needed, but she doesn't have preschool today."

Sirius smiled, "Of course I can. Maybe Hermione can even help me with Harry," turning to Hermione again, he added seriously, "he recently decided crayons should be used on walls, not paper. Do you think you could help me teach him otherwise?"

Hermione nodded shyly.

"Thank you so much Sirius. This means the world to me."

"No problem Emma, I'm glad to be of help."

Emma bent down and kissed her daughter on the forehead. "You be good, okay? Mummy will be back later."

Hermione nodded again and grabbed Sirius's outstretched hand, grasping his pointer finger. "Have you had lunch he asked?" Hermione nodded yes. "Okay, then lets see what toys we have for you to play with." Giving a wave to Emma, he headed inside, leading Hermione to the toy bin.

About an hour later, Harry and Hermione were happily drawing together. She was desperately trying to teach him to draw shapes like she was, but Harry preferred scribbling, much to the girl's annoyance. Sirius was reading a book on the couch, half paying attention to make sure nothing happed when something caught his eye. A crayon had fallen to the floor, only to immediately float back up. This in and of itself was not too unusual, as Harry often performed small feats of accidental magic. What caught his eye was the fact that it wasn't Harry's crayon that had fallen, but Hermione's.

Placing his book on the side table, Sirius started paying more attention. A few minutes later, a crayon that was on the opposite side of the table rolled into Hermione's hand as she reached for it. Frowning, Sirius scratched his head. It was unlikely that Harry's magic would manifest itself in such a way. The only thing that made sense was if Hermione was a witch… But the odds of that…

He kept watching, anxious to stop any more incidents of magic, but didn't see any. Deciding that it must have simply been Harry, he turned back to his book.

When Aletha returned home that evening, she found Harry and Hermione still playing in the living room while Sirius fed Lyra. "Good evening," she began, "I see we have a visitor today."

"Hello!" greeted Hermione, "My mummy had to go to work."

"She did?" Aletha asked. She knew Emma Granger worked, but she thought Hermione usually was at preschool when she was at the office. They were planning on having Harry start after the New Year.

"Emergency at the surgery. Hermione didn't have preschool today so Emma asked if I could watch Hermione," Sirius explained from the kitchen.

"Right, is she staying for dinner?"

"Emma wasn't sure. I figured I would make extra, so if she was here when we ate, she could as well."

"Okay. Well, seeing as you have everything under control, I am going to go change," Aletha responded, heading towards the master bedroom.

Aletha was returning from getting changed when she saw a stuffed animal zoom across the room. She frowned, hoping Harry hadn't done too much magic during the day. It would get harder to explain away incidents the more witnesses there were, even if said witness was only three. Since they had the house warded from ministry detection (thanks to the Black family magics), the accidental magic reversal squad wouldn't be alerted. Entering the kitchen to ask Sirius how much magic Harry had done, she was surprised by the look on his face.

"Aletha," he asked, "did you just see that?"

"See what?" she asked concerned.

"An accidental summoning spell," he muttered, disbelief all over his face.

"Yes, Harry has been doing that since he was barely six months old, remember?"

"Aletha, look who is holding the stuffed animal."

Aletha turned to look at Harry and Hermione. Hermione was holding a stuffed unicorn, happily playing with it while Harry was occupied with his trains.

"Hermione?" questioned Aletha.

Sirius nodded, "I thought I saw a few other incidents of accidental magic earlier, but I wrote it off thinking it was Harry. But this is obvious. Hermione is a witch."

"But the odds of that are…"

"Astronomical. I know."

"Do you think Dan and Emma know?"

"No," replied Sirius. "Even if they have noticed, they would have come up with excuses and rationalizations. Unless a family has a history of magic, they aren't alerted until the child turns eleven," he explained.

"I know. It was quite a surprise when Professor McGonagall showed up with my Hogwarts letter."

"I imagine."

"Why don't they alert families when a child first shows accidental magic? Many families think there is something wrong with their child."

Sirius sighed. "A lot of it has to do with politics. The purebloods, for the most part, don't want muggles to be a part of their world. Even some of the people who advocate for more muggleborn rights don't want actual muggles to be a part of our world."

Aletha frowned. "Well, what do we do? Do we tell Dan and Emma?"

"I don't know. I think first we talk to Andy. And maybe Amelia. Those two will know all of the laws and any loopholes."

"You know," frowned Aletha, "we could change those laws."

Sirius smiled, "I'll add it to my list of things to do."

**Dec 7 2002**

"Nymphadora!" shouted Andy, "Stop fooling around and get dressed. If you don't hurry up, we will be late. And don't forget a hat!"

"I'm hurrying!" replied Dora from down the hall, "And don't call me Nymphadora!"

"It's your name. And I will use it." Andy sighed. Sometimes she thought she would never stop fighting with her daughter. It was a constant battle over everything: clothes, hair, name, whether she was old enough to do something. "Even Sirius wasn't this bad as a child," she muttered to herself.

A few minutes later, Dora came running into the living room, dressed in jeans and a faux leather jacket, beanie covering her bright pink hair.

"Where did you get that jacket?" questioned Andy, displeasure evident on her face.

"Umm… Cousin Siri?" Dora peeped. "Come on! We can't be late!"

Andy sighed; she would be talking to Sirius about the jacket. Grabbing the container of floo powder, she took a pinch. Grabbing Dora's hand, she threw in the powder and shouted "Padfoot's Palace!"

As they stepped into the study, Dora was complaining, "Mum! I can floo on my own now! I am nine!"

"You can floo by yourself when you I say you are old enough," admonished Andy as Sirius entered the room, a wide grin on his face.

"Time for the zoo!" he shouted, "Looking good there Dora."

Dora smiled as Andy greeted Sirius. "Hello Sirius. I see you are the one responsible for Dora's new jacket."

Sirius gulped at the expression on Andy's face. "Come on Andy, it was a birthday present for my favorite little cousin. Besides, it's not like it's real leather."

Andy frowned. "I still don't approve. But let's not keep Aletha waiting."

The three of them entered the living room to find Aletha chasing an excited Harry around the room as he shouted "ZOO! ZOO! ZOO!" He was wearing only one shoe and no jacket as he bounced around the room.

"Calm down pup," Sirius said as he snatched a giggling Harry off the ground and stuck him to his lap. "Let's let mummy put on our other shoe, shall we?"

Harry nodded happily as Aletha reached over and slid his foot into the shoe. "Finally," she muttered. "That boy seems to have endless energy today."

"Well, it is an exciting day," added Sirius.

"Don't even start. Why don't you take Harry to the car and buckle him in."

Saluting, Sirius turned towards the door. "Aye Aye captain!" he shouted as he opened the door. Harry and Dora laughed as Andy and Aletha frowned. "Men," they thought.

A few minutes later, the six of them were sitting in the (magically expanded) car, Sirius in the back with the kids, as he was, in Andy and Aletha's opinion, just an overgrown kid. As Aletha drove, Sirius told an excited Harry and Dora about all the animals they would see.

"Lions," asked Dora. "Like in Gryffindor?"

"Yup. Snakes, badgers, and ravens as well."

"Cool! I can't wait till I get my Hogwarts letter."

"It's a little while yet," responded Sirius. "But don't worry," he added, seeing her disappointed face, "I will make sure you have lots of fun until then."

Dora smiled happily as Andy frowned up front. Sirius's idea of fun did not usually match hers.

As Sirius led Dora and Harry around the wild cats exhibit, Aletha turned to Andy. "What are the actual laws regarding telling muggle parents that their child is magical?" she asked, thinking of the Grangers.

Andy thought for a moment. "It's a good question. While it is generally frowned upon, and the ministry does not alert the family until the child is eleven, it is not actually a breach of the statute of secrecy, as they would have to find out eventually. Why?"

"Our neighbor's the Grangers. Their daughter Hermione, displayed accidental magic at our house last week. She is just under a year older than Harry. They will go to Hogwarts together."

"And you want to know if you can tell the Grangers."

"Yes. I know my parents would have appreciated knowing much earlier. And Dan and Emma are such rational people. I am sure they would appreciate an explanation for their daughter's unusual skills."

"Not to mention she is Harry's age and could be a friend he wouldn't have to hide from. I know Dora finds that hard at school sometimes. I just think the benefits of primary outweigh the cost."

Aletha sighed. "That is something Sirius and I considered. Hermione will just know Harry as Harry Black. The adopted son of Sirius. When he gets to Hogwarts…"

"Everyone will know him as Harry Potter. The boy-who-lived. You want him to have a least one friend who is friends with Harry and not the boy-who-lived."

"He will have Neville as well, it's just, I want him to have real friends. Is that selfish of me? To want to tell them so Harry can have a friend?"

"No," replied Andy. "I think it just shows you are a good mother. And as for telling them, I think you should. It will also give you and Sirius some friends in the muggle world that you can be honest with."

Aletha smiled. She would tell Emma and Dan.


	16. A Black Christmas

**10 Dec 2002**

"Blimey," said Frank. "When you told me Harrods was huge, I guess I just didn't imagine it to be this huge."

"It's okay, Frank. Every pureblood has to go through it at some point," consoled Sirius.

"Go through what?"

"The realization that wizarding culture really is stuck in the nineteenth century," Sirius replied smartly. "Come on! There is an entire floor of toys! And a giant food court! It's fantastic!" he finished, heading to the crosswalk.

Frank shook his head in disbelief as he followed his overeager friend across the road into Harrods.

Stepping into the store, Frank looked about in wonder, gawking at the size and magnificence of the building. Talk about ways to end pureblood supremacy. Simply bring Narcissa Malfoy and her ilk to the store would solve the problem. Following Sirius, he headed up to the toy floor.

About two hours later, both Frank and Sirius had finished picking out holiday gifts for the kids. Frank personally thought they had gone a little overboard, but neither man could help himself as they passed by stuffed animals, Legos, train sets, nerf guns (so maybe those were for them), outdoor toys and more. They had also bought some gifts for close friends, including a child's painting set for Hermione and a pranking set for Dora (Sirius could hardly resist, could he).

After arranging to pick up the parcels later from one of the desks, Frank and Sirius sat down at a steakhouse for lunch. "

"This is amazing," repeated Frank, "I cannot believe they do this all without magic."

Sirius grinned. "Lily brought James and I here after seventh year. I think we spent a solid hour walking around with our mouths hanging open."

"Muggle studies really doesn't do this justice, does it?"

"Not at all. Lily said the course was decades out of date. I didn't really realize what she meant at the time."

"It's sad, really. Hogwarts is supposed to offer the best possible education."

"Guess I should add it to the list."

"The list?" Frank enquired.

"List of things I'm supposed to fix when we take over the government. You know, fix the corruption, stop bigotry, alert muggleborns and their parents to magic earlier, update Hogwarts. It's a pretty modest list in Aletha's opinion."

Frank burst out laughing, spitting soda at Sirius's face. "I'm sorry, a modest list?"

"Yup. You know, things Aletha can't imagine not changing. Don't even get me started on her ideas to integrate the wizarding and muggle worlds better."

"Blimey mate, I wish you luck with that one."

"Don't worry," smirked Sirius, "she fully expects you and Aletha to pull your weight."

After finishing their meal, Sirius led them to the baby section. "Come on," he begged Frank. "You can't be done yet, we still have to buy tiny cute clothes!"

"Sirius, I am sorry to tell you, but you've gone soft."

Sirius looked up at Frank, pulling out his best puppy dogface. "Please? Alice is expecting…"

Alice had told Frank only two weeks ago that she was pregnant. She had been so excited at the thought of Neville having a little brother or sister to grow up alongside. Frank had agreed; growing up an only child in the manor had certainly been lonely at times. Frank sighed, "Fine, but I'm telling you, you've gone soft."

"Nah, you should have seen me before Harry was born. Lily was concerned I would buy out the entire store." He smiled at the thought. It had been in June, and Lily had wanted to get out of the house. Since James recovering from a Death Eater attack, she had taken Sirius instead. When they arrived at the store, he had fallen in love with all the tiny, adorable clothes. Lily had to stop him when he had finally picked out so much that he couldn't hold it all. When they had returned home, James had burst out laughing at the sight of Sirius removing parcel after parcel of shrunken clothes from his pocket.

Looking at the various outfits, Frank supposed he could see why Sirius had purchased so much. The tiny muggle outfits were just so much cuter than any baby wizarding wear. Picking out a few items that would work for either a boy or a girl (it was to early to tell), he went to check out.

**20 Dec 2002**

Sirius was conflicted. He was excited at the thought of celebrating the holidays with his newly enlarged family (the Tonks, Longbottoms, Remus, Aletha, and the kids), but he also desperately missed James and Lily. This was the first Christmas he would truly celebrate, last year didn't count, without his best friend/brother.

"I miss you still James and Lily. Harry is growing up so fast, and now little Lyra. I wish you were here, beside me," he whispered softly. A call from the living room brought him back to his senses, and he headed in.

Aletha was holding Lyra while Harry bounced around the room in delight. "Twee! Twee!" he shouted, pointing at the large fir tree Remus was putting up.

"I see. We are going to decorate it once Moony is done standing it up. Are you excited?"

"Mhm! I do all by self!" he exclaimed proudly.

Mussing his son's hair happily, Sirius agreed. "That you most certainly are pup."

"All done!" announced Remus, stepping away from the tree. "Do we have the lights and decorations yet?"

"Right here," responded Aletha, unshrinking some boxes. Hopefully the lights aren't too tangled. They are from Sirius's old flat and we all know how good at putting things up he is."

"Hey!" cried Sirius indignantly, "I've gotten better you know."

"Better maybe," acquiesced Remus, "but I lived with you for seven years. I know the bar for being better was hardly high."

"Alright boys. How about we get to the decorating. I do believe we have a small boy here who might explode if we make him wait any longer.

That evening, Sirius and Remus sat in the study, drinking firewhiskey. Groaning as yet another one of his pieces was ripped to shreds by one of Remus's, Sirius sighed. "Okay, enough trouncing me at wizard's chess. Let's get to the important stuff."

"The important stuff?" questioned Remus.

"Yes. Like whether you have told Amy you are a wizard. Whether you are spending Christmas with her, or with me. You know, the important stuff."

"Right… Well, I haven't told her yet, but I am spending Christmas day with her. I figured I could come by in the evening when the Tonks came over for dinner. I was thinking if Christmas went well, then I could tell her. I know we can't really go any farther in our relationship without doing so, but…"

"You're nervous. I know Moony. But I like her."

Remus stared. "Did you just say you liked my girlfriend? But you never approve of them."

"Well, this one is sarcastic. And smart. And sexy."

Remus sputtered, "Sexy? Don't go getting any ideas Padfoot!"

"Why never!" responded Sirius innocently, "when have ever gone after your girl?"

"Seventh year. And the Lisa chick right after Hogwarts."

"Ok," moaned Sirius, "maybe you have a point. But I have Aletha now."

"And you better not think of looking at another woman!" yelled Aletha from the other room.

"Blimey," muttered Sirius, "can she hear everything?"

**25 Dec 2002**

The sun had yet to rise when Sirius awoke on Christmas morning. Sliding out of bed, he got dressed and made his way into the kitchen. Quietly, he set the kettle on to boil and opened a recipe book. Pulling out all the ingredients, he set about making pancakes and bacon. As the bacon cooked, he began cutting up fruit, waiting until he heard Aletha or Harry wake before cooking the pancakes. As he poured himself a cup of tea, he looked out at the living room.

The tree was decorated festively, with far more ornaments near the bottom thanks to Harry and himself (levitating them up was just not as fun as physically placing them on the tree). The star on top reflected light around the room, giving the entire downstairs a festive feel. It reminded him of Christmas at Godric's Hollow. The little house had always looked perfect adorned with holly and lights. Not to mention the time he had adorned Prongs with lights. It was all in all, the perfect Christmas setting. Certainly much better than Grimmauld Place.

Around 6:30 am, Harry awoke. With the monitoring charm letting him know Harry was headed down tis way, Sirius continued sipping his tea and merely watched as his son entered the living room. Giving a little squeal of delight, Harry clapped his hand at the sight of piles of presents sitting at the base of the tree. Deciding to make himself know, Sirius addressed the boy.

"Good morning Harry."

"Daddy! San'a come!"

"That he did. Do you want to help me wake your mummy so we can eat breakfast and open presents?" Harry nodded, and walked over to Sirius, climbing onto his lap. Placing his tea on the table, Sirius wheeled the two of them down the hall into the master bedroom. With the exuberance only a small child on Christmas can have, Harry pounced on Aletha.

"Mummy!" he yelled, "Pwesens!"

Aletha sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Presents did you say?" Harry nodded, "well, then I better get up and get dressed so we can open them," she finished, while Harry clapped in delight.

A few hours later Sirius and Aletha were snuggled together on the couch, watching Harry play with a new train set. The morning had been a rousing success, with Aletha snapping loads of pictures, both wizarding and muggle. Reaching into his pocket, Sirius pulled out a small, wrapped gift.

"I have one last gift for you," he said, handing her the box.

As she opened the box, Aletha exclaimed, "It's beautiful, Sirius, I love it." Inside was a delicate silver chain with two pendants on it. One had a small emerald with the name Harry underneath it, while the other had a smoky quartz with the name Lyra underneath it.

Clasping the necklace around her neck, Sirius explained, "I charmed it to alert you if either of the kids are in danger. I know I never want either of them to be in that situation…"

"But it's nice to know I'll be alerted if it happens."

"Exactly."

**4 Jan 2003**

Sirius parked the car in front of the nursery school. Staring out at the building and all the other parents dropping their kids off, he grew nervous. What if Harry didn't like nursery? What if he got scared? Or lonely? Or hurt? Oh Merlin, he just wanted to turn around and drive home. But, Aletha was right. It was part of growing up.

Opening the door, he pulled his wheelchair out of the car and transferred too it. Wiping his palms on his pants (yes, he was that nervous), he opened the door and took Lyra out of her car seat. Once Lyra was safely secured in the baby sling, he helped Harry unbuckle and hop out. He followed an excited Harry across the playground to the nursery teacher, who was greeting the parents.

"You must by Mr. Black and Harry," a kind middle-aged woman said. "My name is Mrs. Smith, and I am in charge of Harry's class."

"Nice to meet you," Sirius responded, shacking her outstretched hand. He looked around the playground and watched as various parents hugged their children behind, leaving them happily playing.

"Harry is your first, isn't he?" Mrs. Smith asked. Sirius nodded. "Don't worry, being nervous is normal. As a matter of fact, I would be more concerned if you were not."

Sirius smiled. Mrs. Smith seemed to radiate trust and comfort. "Nervous might be an understatement. I don't think I've spent more than a day without him."

"Well, Harry's classroom is on the first floor. Why don't we head inside and I can show you around."

Sirius nodded thankfully. He was glad the classroom was on the ground floor, as he wasn't sure he could handle dropping Harry off without seeing it.

"Here are the children's cubbies," Mrs. Smith said, pointing to a cubby that said Harry Black. "Harry, do you want to put your things away?"

Harry moved forward shyly as Sirius gave him a reassuring nod. Once Harry's small bag was stowed in the cubby, they moved into the room proper. The walls were done in bright blues and greens, and the floor was a soft beige carpet.

"Over in there we have the reading circle," Mrs. Smith continued, pointing to a comfortable looking chair. "We like to read at least one story to the group as a whole. In the corner over there, we have the toy center. We have a variety of drawing and building toys, as well as a collection of action figures and such. In the last corner, is the art a crafts center. That is where we work with smaller groups on teacher led projects. We like to do about one a week. As for naptime, we have a morning nap where we bring out mats and place them on the carpet. While the children don't have to sleep, we do expect them to be still and quiet. Any questions?"

Sirius shook his head, looking around the room. "No, I think you covered everything." Turning to Harry as the other children began entering the room, he added, "Alright pup. I'll be back in a little while. Are you ready to have fun?"

Harry looked around as the other children ran towards the toys. "Yah," he said quietly.

Sirius gave his one last hug, and then let him go. Mrs. Smith looked at him and smiled. "Don't worry Mr. Black, we will make sure to keep an eye on him and see that he adjusts. If there are any problems, we won't hesitate to call you."

"Thanks," Sirius said, departing the room.

As he was leaving the playground, he ran into Emma Granger. "Hello Emma, how are you?"

"Good," she replied. "And you? It is Harry's first day, right?"

"It is. Will Hermione be in the same class? I know he would enjoy having a friend there."

"Unfortunately not. Hermione is in the three to four year old group now. But don't worry; Harry will make plenty of friends. He is a very sweet little boy. Well, I best be off, teeth are waiting!" And with a wave she headed off, leaving Sirius to give the school one last look before heading to his car.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter Lord Black will appear!


	17. Good Morning, Lord Black

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Standard disclaimer, I do not own Harry Potter. JK Rowling does. Also, I have set my story 20 years later than the books (to account for the fact that the books were written almost 20 years ago, so the story was roughly contemporary then).
> 
> As such, all dates are 20 years later. ie, Sirius, James, Lily, and Remus would have been born around 1980. Harry, in 2000. Voldemort was at the height of his power in the late 1990s until his downfall in 2001. Hope that helps clarify things.

**3 Feb 2003**

"Good morning, Lord Black," Andy greeted as she stepped through the fireplace. "How are you doing?"

Sirius looked up at Andy, confusion evident across his face. "Lord Black?"

"Yes, Arcturus died last night. Congratulations Siri, you are now the Lord Black."

Sirius blinked, shook his head and sputtered, "really?"

"Now this should hardly be surprising, we have known he was dying for months now."

"I know, it's just… that was all hypothetical. This is real. I suppose we need to go to Gringotts, don't we?"

Andy nodded solemnly. "Indeed we do. I suspect Malfoy will try to prevent Arcturus' will from being read in order to claim Draco as the next Lord Black. We need t o move fast. Are you ready?"

"Yah. Let me just floo Remus and see if he can watch Lyra. Then we can go."

Half an hour later, Sirius found himself holding a vial of polyjuice, keyed to Ted in his hand. Taking a swing, he grimaced, polyjuice was revolting.

"Are we sure this will work? I mean I might look like Ted, but I can't exactly walk into the bank and the Goblins will have to find out," Sirius asked skeptically.

"It shouldn't be a problem," relied Andy. "We went over this before. The two of us will apparate to right outside Gringotts. You only have walk a few dozen yards, and we will use disillusion and glamour charms to hide the crutches."

"Won't work if any one pays close attention."

"Sirius Orion Black," snapped Andy. "We have gone over this. Besides, nobody will be paying much attention to us as long as you act calm. Ted and I aren't wanted fugitives."

Sirius nodded, Andy was right. They had gone over the plan, and thought everything through. In the middle of a workday, everyone would be too busy to pay attention to another random wizard. Sighing, he locked his leg braces in place and stood up, letting Andy apply the glamour and disillusion charms. A moment later, the two disappeared from the office with a pop, reappearing outside Gringotts.

Slowly walking into the bank (Sirius thought painfully slow), the two approached a goblin teller.

"We need to speak to the Black Family accounts manager," requested Andy, staring the goblin in the eyes.

"And who makes this request?" the goblin barked.

Subtly casting a muffliato charm, Sirius spoke up, "I do, Lord Sirius Orion Black."

The goblin scrutinized Sirius for a moment, then his eyes widened. "Right this way sir," he said, stepping down from the platform. The two proceeded to follow the goblin across the floor into a private office. As they entered the room, Sirius felt a wave of magic flow over him. As he sat down, he felt his body morph back into his own, the polyjuice failing.

A second goblin entered the room, motioning the teller to leave. "I am Nagnok, Black Family account manager."

"Sirius Orion Black and Andromeda Tonks nee Black. I am here to claim my titles as head and Lord of the Black family," Sirius replied, staring at the goblin stoically.

"Very well." Pulling out a piece of parchment and a small wooden box, Nagnok said, "I need three drops of blood, Mr. Black. These will confirm you identity and allow you to claim the rings if you are indeed the Lord Black."

Sirius nodded, holding out his left hand. Nagnok pulled out a small dagger and pricked his pointer finger, letting three drops of blood fall onto the parchment. A moment later, red lettering appeared, and Nagnok scanned it quickly.

"Very well, Lord Black. The inheritance proves you true." Opening the small wooden box, he picked up a thick silver ring. It had a plain band, with the Black family crest engraved on the front.

Receiving the ring from Nagnok, Sirius slid the ring onto his finger, feeling his magic swirl as the ring resized. He grimaced, looking up at Andy. "Never thought I'd be the one to wear this," he muttered.

"It looks good on you, Lord Black," she responded, placing her hand on his shoulder for comfort.

"Anything else I can do for you Lord Black?" asked Nagnok.

"Yes. I would like to reinstate Andromeda Tonks nee Black as a daughter of the House of Black. I would also like to see the account statements for all of the vaults and a listing of properties."

"Very well, I shall fetch the paperwork now," nodded Nagnok, exiting the room.

Sirius relaxed, slumping his shoulders slightly. "How did I do?"

"Not bad, Siri. Although I dare say we shall have to brush up your manners prior to your reintroduction to high society."

Sirius moaned. "Is that really necessary?"

"Yes. And you very well know why. We are trying to gain power here. Only by at least appearing to abide by pureblood customs will we gain the attention of the old families."

"I know, I know. Doesn't mean I have to like it."

"No, it does not."

Hearing the door open, both Sirius and Andy straightened fully, as Nagnok entered, holding a pile of parchment. "First," he started, handing over a single page contract, "is the paperwork necessary to reinstate Andromeda Tonks nee Black. Doing so will automatically make her daughter a member of the House of Black. If you wish the husband to be as well, you need to also fill out this contract here," he finished handing a second page to Sirius.

Looking over at Andy to see if she wanted to go through with this, he signed both pieces of paper. "Welcome back to the family, Andromeda."

"Thank you, Lord Black."

"Now," continued Nagnok, "I have the account statements for all of the vaults, going back five years, as well as a list of the properties, their locations, and who currently resides in them."

He handed a stack of parchment over to Sirius, who spread it our in front of him and Andromeda. "As we suspected," he muttered under his breath, looking through the list of properties. "There are only three properties still occupied; Pollux's house, Cassiopeia's house, and Grimmauld Place, as my mother is still alive." Frowning, he added, "I say we simply let her keep living there and not approach her. I have no desire to speak with her or see that house. As for Pollux and Cassiopeia, I say we simply send a letter explaining that there has been a change in lordship, but they will both retain their houses and vaults. As they have no living children, the properties and money will simply revert back to the main line upon their deaths."

"I agree with you decision regarding Pollux and Cassiopeia. We were not aware they still fell under you control, so this does not change anything. As for Grimmauld Place, it is well defended and in a convenient location," responded Andy. She was not entirely opposed to refurbishing the house.

"That may be so, but Arcturus was living in the country estate. That is also well defended, as it is unplottable. We can reevaluate Grimmauld if my mother dies."

Andy simply nodded, and the two moved on. She knew no matter of argument would make Sirius approach his mother again.

Moving onto the bank statements, Sirius scanned through several pages. The family vaults were largely as expected. His mother had her own vault, which was refilled annually with an allowance. Pollux and Cassiopeia each had their own vaults, which were nominally under his control. He had no desire to change that, as it was the normal way to deal with distant relatives. As long as they did not turn against the family or his decisions, he would let them be. The main vault appeared to have largely been untouched in recent years. Old Arcturus appeared to have spent very little. As he moved onto the auxiliary vaults, he looked up in surprise.

"We own the Lestrange vaults?" questioned Sirius.

"Yes. Since the Rodulphus Lestrange had no heir, and the House of Black had primacy in the marriage between Bellatrix and Rodulphus, the vaults went to the Black family upon their deaths," Nagnok explained.

"Very well. I would like to have the goblins search through all of the vaults for dark artifacts. Compile a list of the artifacts and the curse and send it to me. I shall then go through and decide what will remain, what can be uncursed, and what will simply be destroyed. You may take the appropriate fees out of the main vault, but send me a detailed invoice."

"It will be done, Lord Black."

"And I expect everything that was discussed and occurred in this office will be kept in utmost secrecy?" Sirius asked, presenting himself completely as Lord Black.

"Of course. Nothing shall be revealed, even the name of the new Lord, until you allow it."

"Very well. I would like to request a portkey to this address," Sirius said, handing over a piece of parchment with Andy's address on it. He did not want any paper connecting him to his house at the moment.

Nagnok nodded, and left the room once again. Leaning back in his chair, Sirius ran his hands through his hair. "Well, I'm glad that is done with. And thanks again for arranging the paperwork for the Potter accounts to be sent to me. I am glad to not do that again today."

"It wasn't a problem. I am actually surprised it went that well."

Sirius snorted. "Just wait until the goblins finish searching through the vaults for dark artifacts. I promise it will be much more exciting then," he remarked, thinking of the one time he had been brought down to the main Black vault. His grandfather, Arcturus, had warned him not to touch anything, as almost every artifact in there, minus some of the jewels, could cause serious harm. Yes, going through the lists of cursed objects would be quite a job.

A moment later, Nagnok returned with a small rock. Holding tightly, Sirius and Andy activated the portkey and felt themselves swirling through the air until they landed in front of Andy's fireplace.

**17 Feb 2003**

"Bloody hell!" exclaimed Sirius. Grabbing some floo powder, he shouted  
Longbottom Manor as he tossed the powder into the fireplace. "Alice!" He yelled, sticking his head into the fames.

A moment later, Alice appeared in front of the fire. "Yes Sirius?"

"Can you contact Frank at work for me? I found one. I found one of the horocruxes."

Alice paled, understanding immediately the importance of what Sirius had discovered. "Sure, just give me a moment. Are you at home?"

"Yes, tell him he can come though if he wants. Amelia and Alastor are welcome as well."

Alice nodded as Sirius withdrew his head from the flames and turned back to the parchment on his desk. He had been going through the list of cursed objects the goblins had found for a few hours now. Needless to say, the list was seemingly endless. While some were relatively harmless (anti-theft charms on jewelry for instance), many were lethal. He had been sorting them into categories of leave, send to cursebreakers, and destroy when a particular object had caught his attention. Helga Hufflepuff's cup.

At first he had simply been confused. The Blacks had absolutely no relation to Helga Hufflepuff. Looking at the curse, he found only the description of 'dark soul magic' as well as several nasty security charms. Curiosity piqued, he looked into how the cup might have come into the Black's possession. First, he checked the specific vault it was found in, discovering the cup had belonged to Bellatrix. That told him it was definitely stolen, as Bellatrix certainly had not obtained the cup honestly.

Several hours later, he had discovered the cup had belonged to Hepzibah Smith. She had been killed in 1946, apparently when her house elf accidentally poisoned her. Finding this suspicious and enjoying the mystery, Sirius contacted Gringotts to find out when Bellatrix might have deposited the cup. While Gringotts could ascertain for sure when the cup was deposited, could tell that several additional enchantments and protections had been added to the vault on Bellatrix's insistence in the late 1990s.

Working through the facts (really, this is what appealed to him about being an Auror, not just throwing spells about), he came to a startling conclusion. Dark Soul Magic. Place in Bellatrix's vault at the height of Voldemort's power. Highly protected. Horocrux. While he couldn't be sure without examining the cup in detail, the facts added up. And not doing something would definitely be worse than calling a false alarm.

Amelia Bones and Frank Longbottom stepped through the floo into Sirius's study and immediately began berating him with questions.

"Where is the horocrux?" asked Amelia.

"How did you find?" questioned Frank.

As the two began asking more questions, Sirius spoke up. "It is Helga Hufflepuff's cup. I found it in Bellatrix's old vault when I had the goblins search all of the Black Family vaults for cursed objects. While I cannot be for sure, the facts certainly fit."

"And can we destroy it?" questioned Frank, concern evident on his face.

"I believe so. According to our research, Horocrux's inside of objects can be destroyed by fiendfire or basilisk venom- either from a fang or goblin steel." Frank and Amelia nodded, they had learned this earlier. "I am planning on having the goblins destroy several artifacts. I will ascertain whether they have a blade imbued with basilisk venom that they can use. If not, I believe fiendfire is out best bet."

Amelia paled, "And if that is necessary, who will cast it, and where? While it is not illegal, it is certainly considered dark magic."

Sirius nodded. "I would cast it. I would take the cup to an isolated island or mountain, and cast it. While I have never cast fiendfire before, I was taught the incantation and wand movement."

"I would request that you take somebody as backup," said Amelia, uncomfortable at the thought of someone releasing fiendfire.

"I certainly plan on it," smiled Sirius.

"Okay, so we see if the goblins can destroy it. If not, Sirius goes to the middle of nowhere and destroys it," reiterated Frank. Sirius and Amelia nodded. "Sounds like we have a plan then. Let us know when it is destroyed."

Sirius agreed and Frank and Amelia stepped into the floo again, anxious to return to the ministry before someone noticed they were gone.


	18. Operation Clean Up: Part 1

**4 Aug 2002**

Alastor Moody sat down across from Amelia Bones in her office. His false eye whirled around, searching the room and surrounding areas. As he did this, Amelia cast several security and privacy spells. A moment later, Moody spoke up.

"Room's clear," he said. "Surprising really."

"And what, pray tell, do you mean by that? Are you trying to say I do not check my office for bugs?"

"You do?"

"Of course. I am not an idiot. After all, one should always employ…"

"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" shouted Moody.

Amelia rubbed her head; she had walked into that one. "Let's get onto business, shall we?"

"Horocruxes," grumbled Moody. "And possibly more than one."

"Indeed. The first step is to figure out how many. And then what and where they are."

"We are going to need backup on this."

"But who to trust with information?"

"Maybe we don't tell them the information. We just have people investigate the past of Lord Voldemort. After all, he had to have come from somewhere."

"Yes. Maybe a historian? Once we have more information, we can begin looking into what horocruxes might be. And where."

"Need to find a historian with balls if you want them to delve into the past of Voldemort."

"True, but phrase it right and you can convince them they will have the story of a century."

"That they will."

With that, Moody left, both nervous about spending too much time alone, lest someone discover their schemes. Pulling out a quill and piece of parchment, Amelia began thinking of possible historians to contact.

**8 Oct 2002**

Amelia Bones stared at the two men across from her, hands fiddling with the small vial of clear liquid in her hands. She put it down, and opened her mouth to speak, but stopped. She looked down at the vial again. Running her hands through her hair, she sighed. When the plan had first been proposed, she had been all for it. After all, she wanted any and all former Death Eaters removed from the Auror corps. Hell, she wanted them out of the entire DMLE and ministry. But now that she actually had the vial, the veritaserum, she was nervous. This would require crossing a line. A line she wasn't sure she wanted to cross. Looking back up at the two men across from her, she spoke.

"Are we sure we want to do this?"

"Course we do," stated Moody, "This is the only way we can be sure that we discover each and every scumbag."

She turned to Frank. "And what do you think?"

"I think it's risky, a possibly crossing a line. I will do it if you say so, but I would prefer not to," he replied nervously.

"I agree." She sighed, "I would prefer not to. How about we start with simple investigation. Look into finances, alliances, and such. If they received sudden influxes of gold, regularly met with know Death Eaters, or were involved in suspicious attacks, flag them. After Crouch is gone, we can move to trials and or veritaserum."

Moody and Frank nodded. "Have you thought about who else you are going to bring into this project? We will need more manpower," asked Frank.

"Yes, I was thinking Shacklebolt and Erikson. Shacklebolt is a pureblood, but firmly on the side of the light, while Erikson is a half-blood. I will talk to them individually in private later today."

"Will you use veritaserum?" questioned Moody.

"Yes. I will give them the option to take it and answer a prepared list of questions. If they decline, they will not be told what the job is."

"And I'll flag 'em," mutter Moody.

"Very well, you are dismissed."

Frank and Moody stood, and left Amelia in the room, thinking about her decision. Was it a mistake not to use veritaserum? Technically, she had the power to question anyone she wanted with it, but if they did so, the questioning would have to be obliviated else it would get out. She was not comfortable obliviating her entire staff. No, she would save the veritaserum for later.

Just after lunch, Amelia heard a knock on her door. "Come in," she greeted, neatening her stack of papers. A young redheaded man walked into the room. He was fairly thin and lanky, as if he hadn't quite filled out from a growth spurt. "Erikson, sit down please," Amelia intoned, gesturing to a chair across from her.

"Yes ma'am. You asked to see me?" Erikson asked.

"Yes. I have a project I would like your help on. However, before assigning you, I need to ask you a few questions."

"Of course, ma'am."

"However, in order to try to ensure accuracy, I would like to have you take veritaserum. I have prepared list of questions I would like to ask. If you agree, we can begin. If not, you may leave." She handed over a piece of parchment with a short list of questions.

Erikson skimmed the list, and then nodded. "I agree."

"Very well," Amelia responded, pulling out the small vial of clear liquid. She opened the vial and took out a dropper. "Open your mouth please." She let three drops fall into his mouth, and then waited a moment for his eyes to glaze over. "What is your full name?" she began.

"Jonathan Erikson."

"When were you born?"

"April 19th, 1977."

She nodded- the veritaserum was working. Moving onto the real questions, she continued, "Were you at any time, or are you, a Death Eater or follower of Lord Voldemort?"

"No."

"Do you, or have you at any time, believed in the ideas of Lord Voldemort?"

"No."

"Do you believe in pureblood supremacy?"

"No."

"Have you ever taken money, gifts, or other bribes in exchange for information about the ministry or Auror department?"

"No."

"Have you ever taken money, gifts, or other bribes in exchange for ignoring, downplaying, or otherwise falsifying a crime?"

"No."

"Do you have any loyalties that supersede that of the Auror department?"

"Yes."

"What are they?"

"My family."

"Is there anyone you report to outside of your chain of command?"

"No."

Amelia gave Erikson the antidote and waited a moment for the veritaserum to stop working. As his eyes came back into focus, she smiled. "Congratulation Auror Erikson. You have a new assignment."

Three hours later, after questioning Shacklebolt and explaining the new assignment to both Shacklebolt and Erikson, Amelia relaxed. One step closer to cleaning up her department. Moody, Longbottom, and the two new recruits would carefully make their way through the department, searching for evidence of corruption. They would start from the top, creating a comprehensive list, keeping everything completely secret until they were ready to move.

**29 Nov 2002**

"We have finished investigating the Auror's, Ma'am," reported Erikson. "Auror's Moody and Longbottom have begun investigating hit wizards as well. They also would like to know if you want us to move onto department heads."

Amelia flipped through the folder Frank had sent her. It was an overview of state of the department. People were sorted into various categories ranging from completely clean (such as Erikson and Shacklebolt) to likely a marked Death Eater. Reading through the list, she was not too surprised. While only a handful were on the list of likely marked Death Eaters (and those names were no surprise either), there were at least a dozen who appeared to have taken significant bribes from the likes of Malfoy during the war. The list of people who may have taken smaller bribes, or only a single bribe was even longer. Needless to say, there was a lot clean up to do in her department.

"Tell them to make their way through the entire DMLE first. It does us no good to tag these people if corrupt judges and such immediately let them free."

"Yes ma'am," replied Erikson as he left the room.

She turned back to the page of clean Aurors. Reading through the names, she mentally reviewed who they were. Most were younger, having joined the Auror's during the war. At that point, those who had supported Lord Voldemort had simply joined the Death Eaters. There were enough background checks to flush out supporters in the new applicants. No, unfortunately, most of the corrupt ones were her more senior Aurors. Maybe some forced early retirements would do the department good.

**Feb 4 2003**

Amelia was excited. She had received word from Sirius that he had taken over a Lord for the Black Family. Finally, they could begin putting their plan into action. Over the next few months, the plan was to work towards unsealing the Potter Will (Dumbledore had sealed it almost immediately after James and Lily's deaths), passing new laws (disguised as advantageous to the pureblood elite), and removing Crouch as head of the DMLE. While Sirius and Andy were ready to begin the introduction of new laws, the ousting of Crouch would take a while longer. Meaning Amelia was still waiting to clean out her department. Over the last few months, she had successfully tagged over three-dozen individuals in the DMLE. Furthermore, she had been discreetly reassigning those who were less trustworthy to non-critical jobs. She was ready.

Turning to her other side mission, she pulled out the letter Professor Anderson had written her. The man was a muggleborn who had been living abroad during the height of Voldemort's terror. Having only returned to England this past summer, he did not share the same overwhelming fear of Voldemort as the rest of the country. Consequentially, he had been happy to investigate the past of Lord Voldemort when he was not too busy teaching at a local muggle university.

The letter had come last week, but she had been far too busy to read it then. In all honesty, she had forgotten about it until Sirius's ascension to lordship had reminded her of it. Opening it up, she began to read.

About halfway through, she put the letter down. Voldemort was really Tom Riddle. A half-blood born to Merope Gaunt and a muggle, Tom Riddle Senior. She read the explanation again. Anderson had gone through the names of every single graduate of Hogwarts from 1920-1985. Apparently Hogwarts was likely where he received his education, as he often referenced attending and it was common belief that many of his initial followers were actually old school friends. Voldemort had made his first appearances in the late 80's and was described at the time as a 'young to middle-aged man, strong and tall with dark hair.' Apparently Anderson had spent weeks going through every possible candidate, eliminating those who were female, had survived past 1985, and had been identified after death.

That had only left a handful. Marveling at Anderson's detective work, Amelia read about how he had then gone through and attempted to contact all the rest. Two more had left the country. Three had returned to the muggle world. That left three. After combing through missing persons reports and descriptions of both the students and Voldemort, Anderson had come to the conclusion that Tom Riddle had indeed become Lord Voldemort. Needless to say, she was amazed. A half-blooded man sprouting a pureblood ideology. It certainly would make her life easier if he came back. Now it was time to comb through Riddle's past and discover what his horocruxes might be and where they were hidden.

**Feb 17 2003**

They had found a horocrux. Completely by luck, but they had found one nonetheless. Even better, the discovered horocrux might help them figure out what and where the others were. The cup had been in Bellatrix's vault. She was one of Voldemort's inner circle, one of his most trusted Death Eaters. If she had been given a horocrux to guard, then odds were other inner circle members had as well. Amelia began listing who they suspected of being in the inner circle. Malfoy, Nott, Avery, Mulciber, Yaxley, MacNair. They would have to investigate.

Opening her office door, she stuck her head out. "Moody! Get in here!"

A few minutes later, Moody entered the office. "What is it?" he asked.

"This horocrux we found. I figure it may share similarities with the other horocruxes."

"Such as being in the hands of a loyal Death Eater."

She nodded, "We need to investigate all known Death Eaters. Even if they claimed to be under the imperious."

"Imperious my ass. Most of them were loyal followers."

Amelia sighed, Moody was a great Auror and she trusted him, but sometimes he was a little… much. "Anything else you can think of?" she asked, eager to have a second person's thoughts.

Moody sat there thinking for a moment, then added, "Hufflpuff's cup is one of the founder's objects. A big deal in the wizarding world."

"Are you saying his other horocruxes might be famous objects?"

"Might be. Should run the idea by Andromeda. She has the brain for this stuff."

"Right. Will do. Now back to work."

Moody left, leaving Amelia to think over everything she had learned in the past two weeks. The identity and basic history of Voldemort. One of his horocruxes. "This just might work," she thought. "We might actually defeat him for good."


	19. An Awkward Conversation

**5 March 2003**

Sirius looked up from his work and watched as Harry, Hermione, and Lyra played in the living room. They were building a town out of blocks while Lyra tried to knock them all down. Harry giggled as Lyra, yet again, stumbled across the room. She was just beginning to walk and loved to show off her new skill to Harry and Hermione. Hermione huffed and started to put the town back together. At first she had been annoyed at Lyra for destroying the town, but a big smile and hug from Lyra had quickly changed that. Now she simply huffed in slight annoyance, but drew Lyra in for a big hug.

Watching Hermione interact with Lyra made Sirius smile. The three and a half year old had decided that since she didn't have a little sister, Lyra would fill that roll. Whenever she came over, which had been quite frequently since Harry started nursery, she would try to teach Lyra a new skill. Only last week, she had tried to hold Lyra steady as she toddled about the room. Unfortunately for Hermione, as soon as Lyra had felt the additional stability, she had tried to speed up- resulting in both girls toppling to the floor.

"Daddy? Snack?" asked Harry as he came running into the kitchen where Sirius was working.

"Sure pup, what do you want?"

"Ice Cweam!"

"No ice cream," laughed Sirius, as Harry climbed into his lap. "How about some fruit?"

"An gol'fish?"

"Sure." Keeping an eye on the two girls, he wheeled over to the fridge and pulled out some grapes. Harry hopped down from his lap and ran over to the cabinet where they kept the crackers and pulled out the goldfish. After washing the grapes and filling the two bowls, Sirius called over the girls.

Hermione held Lyra's hands as the younger girl toddled her way slowly across the room. "Thank you Hermione," said Sirius as he scooped up Lyra, tickling her stomach. As he placed the giggling girl into her high chair, Hermione climbed up into a chair.

"I stay for dinner?" Hermione questioned, helping herself to some grapes.

"Yup, your mum and dad are joining us for dinner tonight. They are bring the salad and drinks, so I was wondering if you three wanted to help me bake cookies for dessert."

"Cookies!" yelled Harry, clapping wildly. Last month he had discovered the joys of making cookies when Alice had come over with Neville. When she had found out that Sirius had yet to learn how to make homemade cookies, she had decided that was what they would do with their afternoon. Two hours and a giant mess later, Sirius had never been happier to know cleaning spells. Two-year-olds and kitchens resulted in giant messes. Not that he was, in all honesty, much better.

"Yes please!" added Hermione eagerly, sealing the deal.

"Okay, once you are done with your snack we can get started," he finished as he gathered up his work. He definitely was not going to leave it in the danger zone.

Two and a half hours later, Sirius pulled the last tray of sugar cookies out of the oven. As he placed the tray on the counter, he heard the door open.

"Hello," greeted Aletha from the doorway as she took off her jacket. "How was your day?" she asked the flying bullet that was Harry.

"We ma'e cookies!" shouted Harry, grabbing Aletha's arm and pulling her towards the kitchen.

"I can see," she laughed as she looked about the kitchen. There was frosting and sprinkles all over the counter, where Harry and Hermione had been decorating the cookies. Lyra, who was happily sitting in her high chair, was also covered in frosting.

"Lyra likes frosting," stated Hermione. "I like the pink one best."

"I like blue!" added Harry.

Aletha looked at her daughter, "And I see Lyra like green?"

Harry and Hermione nodded happily as Sirius greeted his wife with a kiss. "How was your day?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her onto his lap.

"Busy. We had a kid come in today who had an action figure stuck up his nose."

"That's a new one."

"It defiantly was. The kid was too embarrassed to tell us what happened, but the younger brother looked sheepish."

Sirius laughed, "I have to say, I never stuck something up Regulus's or James's nose."

"Only because you didn't think of it. What time are the Granger's coming over?" She asked, looking pointedly at the kitchen.

"In about an hour. If you want to give Lyra a bath, I can let the other two play in the living room while I clean up this mess."

"Sounds like a plan," Aletha agreed, giving Sirius one last kiss. "Okay girl, time for a bath!"

Dinner was long over, and Lyra in bed when Sirius and Aletha finally decided to tell Dan and Emma the whole reason for dinner. Looking over to make sure Harry and Hermione weren't getting into mischief, Sirius cleared his throat.

"So, Dan, Emma," he began, "there is actually something Aletha and I wanted to talk to you about."

"What is it?" asked Emma, looking slightly concerned at Sirius's sudden change in demeanor.

"It's nothing bad, just a little," he paused, looking for the right word, "different."

"And while it might not seem it, we are being serious," added Aletha, sending a looking to her husband to convey this was not the time for a joke about his name.

Sirius responded with a slight grin. "Well, I guess it is better to just say this. Hermione is a witch. As in magical."

Dan and Emma just stared, then Dan responded, "magic isn't real. Everyone knows that."

Sirius ran his hand through his hair. He wasn't really sure the best way to do this. Hell, he wasn't sure he was the right person to do this, but he and Aletha agreed. It would be better for Harry and Hermione if her parents knew. "Magic is real. There is an entire magical world, with a full government, here in the UK. I know this because I am a wizard. So is Harry. And Aletha and Lyra are witches."

"Nonsense." Stated Emma, as she looked at her two friends in concern. Since meeting the couple a little over a year ago, they had grown close, but this was ridiculous. Magic was not real. There was no such thing as real witches and wizards. She couldn't decide if this was some kind of weird joke, or if the two were actually crazy.

"I promise you," began Aletha, "magic is real. Have you ever noticed objects that seem to have floated over to Hermione? Objects that were out of reach? A cut that seems to instantly disappear? Things that you just can't explain."

Dan stared. In all actuality, he had. One time he had sworn a book had flown across the room into Hermione's hand. Sometimes she would fall and hurt herself, but by the time he returned with a band-aid, the cut was gone. Could this be true?

"I can show you," Sirius said, seeing that Emma still though this was some kind of joke or craziness. "I can show you some magic."

Emma looked at him skeptically; she supposed there was no harm. "Very well then, show us."

Sirius flicked his wrist and his wand slip out of his holster into his hand. While he was no longer an auror, he had grown used to keeping it there. Thinking about what to show him, he thought back to what Aletha had said she was shown when she was introduced to the wizarding world. "Wingardium leviosa," he pronounced, lifting one of the glasses off the table and swirling it around. While he didn't need the incantation for such simple charms, he figured it would help the Granger's understand. Next, he transfigured the cup into a small hedgehog, let it wander about a bit, and then transfigured it back into a cup.

"Blimey," whispered Dan as he stared at Sirius's wand, then at the cup. "Magic is real? And my daughter is a witch?"

"Yes," replied Aletha. "Emma? Are you okay?"

Emma sat staring at the couple across from her. Magic was real. And they were magical. Her daughter was magical. Sirius had just turned a cup into a hedgehog and back into a cup. She shook her head. She was not okay.

Seeing the look on Dan and Emma's face, especially Emma's, Sirius went into the kitchen and fetched four glasses and a bottle of whiskey. He figured this was not the time for summoning charms and firewhiskey. Returning to the table, he poured four glasses, and handed them out.

Emma took a sip of whiskey and shook her head. "An entire magical world?"

"Yes. We have the Ministry of Magic in London. The Wizengamont is our lawmaking body," Aletha explained, glad that Emma seemed to be taking it all in.

"A whole world?" asked Dan again. "As in schools, hospitals, government?"

"Yup," said Sirius. "Even sports."

"Sports?" asked Dan, his eyes lighting up.

"The most popular in the UK is quidditch. You play it on brooms. Seven players to a side, and you try to score goals while the seeker searches for a golden snitch," Sirius began.

"Brooms?" asked Dan. "As in flying broomsticks?"

Emma groaned, sending a look towards Aletha. Trust Dan to be immediately interested in sports and flying.

"Yup," beamed Sirius. "I used to play in school. But brooms aren't the only things that can fly. I have a flying motorcycle."

"And it is illegal," added Aletha sternly. She was still not a fan of the flying bike, but had begrudgingly allowed Sirius to keep it after much begging and a promise to never take the kids on it.

"It's not a big deal, your just not supposed to enchant muggle objects."

"Muggle?" questioned Emma.

"Ah, non-magical," explained Sirius.

Dan thought about flying, not in an airplane, but really flying- out in the open, feeling the wind on his face. "Could I fly a broomstick?"

Sirius thought for a moment. "I don't think so, brooms rely on your magic to keep them going, so I don't think you could without a witch or wizard riding with you. Although we could try…" he trailed off, thinking again. "But you could defiantly ride the motorcycle," he added.

"Serious?"

"That's me!" Sirius responded as the other three groaned. "But yah. You probably shouldn't try alone the first time, but I could take you up for sure."

As Dan and Sirius headed out to the garage to admire the flying bike, Emma turned to Aletha.

"Why are you telling us this? I mean, if Hermione is a witch, and all witches and wizards are invited to a school to teach them magic at eleven, why wouldn't a school or government representative explain all this to us?"

Aletha sighed. Emma was a smart, perceptive woman. There was no way to only tell her part of the truth. "Someone would tell you, when Hermione turned eleven. Someone from Hogwarts would come by with her letter and explain the magical world. Sirius and I wanted to tell you guys now because things are complicated for us." Aletha paused, nervously.

"How so?" Emma asked, sensing this was something big, something important.

"I guess in order for this to all make sense, I will need to give you a bit of a history lesson." Looking over at the children to make sure they were still occupied, Aletha began telling Emma the story of Voldemort, Harry's survival, and their flight.

About an hour later, the two women sat at the table in silence. A while ago, the men had returned from the garage. Hearing what Aletha was explaining, Sirius and Dan had put Harry and Hermione to bed, leaving the women in peace.

"So the government thinks Sirius betrayed his best friend and stole Harry to raise him as the next evil dark lord?"

"That is one way to put it," sighed Aletha. "Fortunately, Sirius still has some friends in the wizarding world who believe in him. They are making sure that the ministry has plenty of false leads regarding his location. We are also working on a plan to clear his name."

"Why did so many people turn on him? Why did everyone believe he could turn dark?"

"There are two parts to it. The first is, Sirius comes from a historically very dark family. His parents, and almost all his relatives firmly believe in the whole pureblood supremacy thing. His brother was a known Death Eater and one of his cousins was actually one of Voldemort's most devoted followers. Secondly, everyone things he was the secret keeper for the Potters. The secret keeper is the only one who could have given up their location."

"So because of his last name, everyone assumed going evil was in his blood?"

Aletha nodded. "After the death of the Potters, nobody seemed to remember that this evil family was the same family who he ran away from. His father almost killed him when he did so. There are dark and light families in the wizarding world, and most people forget that not everyone is the same as their family."

Emma nodded, thinking over everything she had learned tonight. The Blacks were magical. So was her daughter. Sirius, the man who babysat her daughter and enjoyed watching football with her husband was a wanted criminal. And innocent. The young boy who was rapidly becoming her daughter's best friend was the savior of wizarding Britain. She wasn't sure how she felt about all this. She wasn't sure what would happen next. But she knew one thing for sure: her life just got a lot more complicated.


	20. A Battle of Wills

**March 15 2003**

Amelia could barely hear herself think as she walked between groups of witches and wizards conversing on the Wizengamont floor. Normally by this time, most members would have taken their seats, ready for the proceedings to begin. After all, order would be called in only five minutes. But today was different. For today was the first day of the new Wizengamont session, and it had been announced that there was a new Lord Black. Which, naturally, meant that the members of the Wizengamont were busy gossiping. After all, Arcturus Black, the previous Lord Black, had retreated from society shortly before the downfall of Voldemort. His departure had left behind a power vacuum as various Lords and Ladies attempted to secure control of the old Black Alliance. The new Lord Black would be in the perfect position to retake control of the alliance and sway others to his side. The Black name, although hurt slightly in the last few years as the family died out, still carried a lot of influence. The question was, who was the new Lord Black?

Weaving her way through the gossiping Lords and Ladies, Amelia listened to snippets of conversation.

"It must be Pollux. He is Arcturus's cousin."

"Or would it be Lucretia? I know she married a Prewitt and the Black's are traditionally patriarchal but the family is dwindling…"

"What about Malfoy?"

"Pollux would come first. Besides, Narcissa's boy is only two and a half. Not nearly old enough to take the lordship."

"Suppose we will find out today. I cannot imagine the new Lord Black not taking his place."

Amelia merely smiled as she took her seat. She was surprised she hadn't heard a single person mention Sirius's name. While it was common knowledge he had been thrown out of the family at sixteen, as far as everyone was concerned, he was a staunch Voldemort supporter, something the Black family would have been happy about. But, she supposed he was a wanted man, and people would hardly expect him to be able to claim the lordship.

A few minutes later, Dumbledore entered the chambers, calling the Wizengamont into session. As everyone quieted down, Amelia watched as everyone looked about the room, no doubt searching for the person who could be the new Lord Black.

"Good morning, Lord and Ladies," began Dumbledore. "Before we begin, I must ask for the new Lord Black to present himself to the chambers."

Amelia smiled as the entire chambers held their breath, waiting for someone to take action. After a brief moment, a tall, thin, redheaded man stood, straightening his robes.

"I, Ignatius Prewitt, would like to present myself to the body as proxy for the Lord Black."

Amelia heard small gasps throughout the chamber as people realized the real Lord Black was still unknown.

"Do you have proof of your statement, Mr. Prewitt?" asked Dumbledore, looking pleased. A Prewitt as proxy was good for Dumbledore. While Ignatius was had not declared overtly for the light, his nephew's Gideon and Fabian, had both died fighting Voldemort.

"I do indeed," answered Ignatius, pulling out an official looking scroll. "I have hear an official Goblin document stating my appointment as proxy by Lord Black in the presence of the Black account manager." He handed the document over to Dumbledore, sitting back down in his seat.

A moment later, Dumbledore handed the scroll to the court scribe, and looked up at Ignatius. "May I be the first to welcome you, Mr. Prewitt, to the Wizengamont, as the official proxy for the Lord Black. Now, let us begin."

The court proceedings, were in all honesty, quite boring, thought Frank. He listened as Lord after Lord rambled on about taxes, or business regulations, or any other number of boring things. Finally, he heard his name called.

"Lord Longbottom," said Dumbledore, "You wished to address the body?"

Frank stood, straightening his robes and trying his best to look official. "Yes, Chief Warlock. I wished to bring up the subject of the Potter Will. Namely, the fact the will is still sealed."

The courtroom erupted into chaos, as various members turned to those around them, trying to figure out what was happening. How was the will was still sealed? How was Frank Longbottom was aware of this? Why did he want to unseal it? As the members of the Wizengamont tried to figure out what was happening, a flash of fear and concern appeared on Dumbledore's face for a brief moment, before instantly disappearing. While Dumbledore was Chief Warlock, his role was mostly an honor. While he presided over the court, he could not actively participate unless there was a tied vote. Which essentially never happened.

"Very well, Lord Longbottom, you may proceed," Dumbledore answered. He remained calm, but Frank could hear a slight tenseness in his voice.

"Thank you, Chief Warlock. As I said, the Potter will remains sealed and unread. After James and Lily Potter's untimely deaths on October 31st, 2001, the will was sealed for the protection of their son, Harry Potter. This was deemed necessary, as Harry Potter survived the attack, but had been taken captive by Sirius Black. The Wizengamont felt that the will should remain sealed until Black was apprehended, in case the Potter's had willed him money after their death. After all, it was well known that James considered Sirius his brother prior to the betrayal."

Murmuring broke out across the court, as people worked through what Frank had said.

"What you have said so far makes it sound like sealing the will was a good idea," commented Lord Abbott. "Why should we move to unseal it?"

More murmuring. It seemed like most of the court agreed with Lord Abbott.

"Yes," continued Frank, "At the time it was the correct decision. I was friends with James and Lily. The last thing they would have wanted was for their will to help Black control Harry. But things have changed. It has been almost a year and a half since their deaths. And, as much as I hate to say this, I fear we may not find young Harry." Frank stopped for a moment, letting the Wizengamont take in his statement.

"How can you say such a thing!" shouted Lord MacMillan.

"Because, unfortunately, I believe it to be the truth. I have a son the same age as a Harry. My wife is his godmother," another pause. "But we must face the truth. I work in the auror department. I know how the search is going. It has been over a year and we haven't had a solid lead. No, I fear we will not find Harry until Black wants to be found."

More outcries, as several members protested Frank's statement. Lord Abbott, once again rose. "I ask again, why should we move to unseal the will?"

Frank drew in a long breath, drawing everyone's attention back to him. This was the important part, the difficult part. "For closure. For Petunia Evans. While James Potter was the last of the Potter line, Lily Potter nee Evans had a sister. A sister who has a child almost the same age as Harry. A sister who has been waiting eighteen long months to hear this will. For Mrs. Pettigrew. Peter Pettigrew, believed killed by the hand of Sirius Black, was a close friend to James and Lily. Would we deny her some amount of closure, however small, that might come from the will? To honor James and Lily. The Potter's are an old, wealthy family. But Lily Potter grew up very much working class. As a result, she felt giving back to community was important. While they were alive, the Potter's donated heavily to St. Mungos, magical orphanages, and other worthy causes. I know they would have wanted to continue this after their death. So, I say, let us unseal the will. Let us give closure to the friends and family of the Potters. Let us help worthy organizations in their name, such as St. Mungos and orphanages. Merlin knows there are plenty who were injured in the war, plenty who were orphaned, who could be helped. So I ask this body, please help me unseal the will."

There was silence for a moment as the members of the Wizengamont took in what Frank had said. Then the shouting began anew. After a few minutes, Dumbledore cast a sonus on himself and shouted, "Order! I will have order! Is there anyone who wishes to respond to Lord Longbottom's request?" Several people stood, and Dumbledore pointed to an older man. "Lord Travers."

Lord Travers cleared his throat, and turned to face Frank. "While I appreciate your sentiments, you have yet to address the question of Sirius Black. What if the Potters bequeathed money or other assets that would help him hide Harry Potter from us?"

Many witches and wizards nodded their head in agreement, looking to Frank as well. "Lord Travers," Frank began, "I certainly do not wish that to happen. Which is why I spoke to Madam Bones prior to bringing this to the Wizengamont. Madam Bones, if you would?"

Amelia stood, giving a nod to Frank in thanks. He had done his job, appealing to the hearts of the members of the Wizengamont. Now it was her turn to reassure them. And to raise yet another issue.

"I have looked into this issue with the help of Lord Crouch, the current head of the DMLE. We have determined that we can lawfully hold any funds bequeathed by the Potters to Sirius Black until he comes in person to collect them. Since this also follows the rules of Goblin Law, we should have no trouble from their end. As a wanted criminal, if Mr. Black were to present himself in person, we would immediately arrest him, preventing him from using the funds."

"Thank you Madam Bones, that puts my mind at rest," replied Lord Travers as he sat back down.

"Anyone else wish to speak?" asked Dumbledore, he face showing more irritation that was quickly hidden. "Lord Malfoy, you may speak."

Lucius Malfoy nodded, and stated "I support the motion of Lord Longbottom to unseal the will." Silence filled the chamber, and Amelia gasped in shock. Lucius Malfoy? Supporting Frank? "While sealing a will for a brief period of time immediately following a high profile death, such as that of the Potters, has been done before," Lucius continued, "the will is usually unsealed once the murder has been solved. The murder of the Potter's has been solved, so I see no need for the will to remain sealed. Furthermore," he turned and looked at many of the pureblood supremacists, "I fear leaving the will unread will allow future wills to be ignored by Dumbledore simply because he does not approve of the family."

Yet again, the chamber grew noisy as people realized just what Malfoy was accusing Dumbledore of doing. As wealthy and dark aligned families contemplated the idea of Dumbledore legally preventing their wealth and power from being passed on, Amelia smiled. She had planned on bringing this point up herself (in perhaps a less inflammatory manner), but Malfoy had done a better job than she could have ever.

When they had originally discussed this pan with Sirius and Ted, Sirius had been concerned that the old Black Alliance (currently lead by Malfoy) would move to keep the will sealed. He was concerned that they might simply try to fight anything Frank brought up. However, by threatening their future wills, Sirius figured they would immediately have an overwhelming majority.

"Order! I will have order!" shouted Dumbledore, annoyance clearly displayed on his face now. It was clear the move to unseal the will would succeed. And Malfoy had thrown in a pot shot at him as well. "If there is no one else who wishes to add to this debate," he paused, looking around the room, "then let us bring this to a vote. All in favor of unsealing the Potter will, raise their light wand." Over three quarter of the witches and wizards lit their wands. "All against the motion." Only a few were lit. "Very well. Let it be known the motion passes. The Potter will shall be unsealed and read on the 16th of March at 10 am."

Amelia locked eyes with Frank and they nodded. They had succeeded. In less than twenty-four hours the will would be read. In less than twenty-four hours, they could begin clearing Sirius's name.


	21. Operation Disgrace Dumbledorks: Part 2

**26 Sept 2002**

"Oh Alice!" gushed Maura Brown, "The garden looks absolutely beautiful! I just love the roses and lilies. You must tell me your secret!"

Alice smiled politely and responded, "Oh course Maura, I have some amazing gardening magazines I can share with you. How about I bring them out after tea?"

"That would be perfect. Thank you so much!"

Alice walked the chatting Maura Brown over to the table where several other witches were already gossiping. In all honesty, Alice found Maura a bit gossipy for her tastes, but she always had the best stories. Besides, it would be an insult not to invite her, seeing as her daughter, Lavender, would be in the same year as Neville.

Seated at the table were Serena Greengrass, Mary Abbott, Deborah Diggory, Rosanna MacMillan, and Hester Smith. Amelia would be coming later. The table itself was covered in a beautiful white lace tablecloth, Alice's favorite porcelain tea set, and a nice spread of mini sandwiches and pastries. The ladies themselves were dressed in a variety of casual yet elegant dress robes. While Alice always made it clear her teas were casual dress, this was still an occasion for everyone to show off their newest robes and fashion.

"Oh, Alice," began Serena, "How is Neville doing? I haven't seen him since his birthday party."

"He is doing marvelously. He loves the gardens and flowers so much. I suspect he will do fantastic at herbology. As a matter of fact, he helped me plant the lilies earlier this summer. And how are your two? Daphne and Astoria?"

"Fantastic. Astoria is just learning to walk and Daphne loves her little sister."

"Are you planning on having another child?" asked Deborah. "Amos and I were discussing it, but I just don't know."

Alice smiled brightly. "Frank and I would love to have another child. Now that the world is quieting down, I think we will try to have another."

The talk continued for quite awhile on the subject of children, as the women discussed accidental magic, birthday parties, and the newest children's toys.

About an hour into the tea, the conversation turned more serious as Mary asked, "And how is Frank doing? My husband says he looked much better at the last wizengamont session. Back into fighting shape he said."

"Frank has recovered wonderfully. The first couple months were extremely hard. Frank had to learn how to walk on his new leg, the manor was under repair, and I kept worrying about our safety," Alice responded.

"Oh, that must have been awful, not feeling safe at home. I cannot image," shuddered Maura.

"It was. And the worst part is, Frank discovered that the ward stones were targeted in the attack. It is how they got through so fast." Alice crossed her fingers, hoping someone would pick up on what that meant.

"But…" stuttered Rosanna, looking concerned, "that means somebody betrayed you."

Alice nodded grimly, as Amelia helped out, asking, "Who knows the location of your ward stones?"

"The only people who know are Frank, Augusta, Dumbledore, the goblins, and I."

Rosanna looked across at Alice, searching her eyes for truthfulness. "Dumbledore…" she whispered, looking disturbed.

"Are you saying Dumbledore was the one to tell?" asked Hester, clearly not believing what Rosanna was insinuating.

"We all know how fierce Augusta is. And the goblins would never tell," explained Amelia.

"Which only leaves Dumbledore," nodded Rosanna. "Are you doing anything about this?"

"Frank hired a goblin team earlier this summer to move the ward stones and update the wards. That should fix the problem. As for the leak, I don't know. What can I do?" Alice looked out across the table at the ladies, waiting to see how they would respond.

"I just cannot believe this," started Maura," I know he is the only one who makes sense, but Dumbledore is the leader of the light. Defeater of Grindewald."

All of the women nodded, sharing a look of understanding. None of them would trust Dumbledore with their lives.

"Let us move on to a lighter topic, shall we?" asked Alice, "Did you see the beautiful gown Amy Crane wore at her wedding this summer?"

**15 Oct 2002**

Frank looked over his shoulder as he walked down the hall towards the Wizengamont chambers with Moody. Seeing Lucius Malfoy was within earshot, he gave a subtle nod to Moody.

"You moved the stones yet?" Moody asked, his eye swirling around to watch as Malfoy stepped away from the man he was talking to.

"Earlier in the summer. And I hired a goblin team to upgrade the wards themselves. They are doing their last upgrade on the 31st," Frank responded, slightly louder than normal. He didn't want to be too obvious, but he wanted to make sure Malfoy could hear him.

"Good. Just don't tell anyone about where they are or what you did this time."

"Definitely. I just can't believe he really told someone. Even if he didn't tell the Lestranges, he had to have told someone else."

"Constant Vigilance Frank. Never trust anyone completely. Especially not a meddling old fool." Moody's eye swung back round front, indicating Malfoy had heard everything they wanted him too. "Well, I guess I should let you go now. Time for you to spend the day listening to old men drabble on and on."

"Am I an old man now?" asked Frank, laughing softly.

"When you are in there you are." And with that, Moody turned down another hall as Frank continued into the Wizengamont chambers. Hopefully Malfoy had understood everything that he and Moody had said and would spread it around.

**Jan 23 2003**

Alice sat down at the table for yet another monthly tea. This time, they sat inside in formal living room, as the weather was quite chilly. Last month she had been surprised when Serena Greengrass had invited Narcissa Malfoy to her tea. Narcissa had turned out to be very pleasant company, so Alice had decided to invite her to this tea as well.

After the necessary chatting about the children and fashion, Narcissa lead the turn to more serious conversation.

"I learned Arcturus Black, the current Lord Black, is gravely ill. The healers suspect he will pass away soon," Narcissa explained.

"He is your great-uncle, isn't he?" asked Serena.

"Yes, by marriage. I believe he is closer to a second or third cousin by blood. Nonetheless, as the head of the family, I saw him at all the major holidays growing up. It will be sad when he passes," Narcissa added.

"I'm so sorry dear," gushed Maura, placing a hand on Narcissa's shoulder. "I know even with all the loss we have experienced these last few years, losing someone to illness almost seems worse."

"It is," continued Narcissa. "My family is almost entirely gone at this point. I know many of them were awful, evil people, but they were still family."

Everyone sat in silence for a moment, unsure as to what to say until Narcissa broke the silence. "But the real reason I bring this up is because I want to know who you all think the next Lord Black will be."

"You don't know?" asked Deborah.

"No, I do not. Arcturus's son is dead, and so is his grandson Regulus."

"But what about…" Hester trailed off, not daring to say his name.

"Sirius?" completed Narcissa. "He was disowned at sixteen.

"What about Ignatius and Lucretia?" questioned Mary. "She is his daughter, and she married Ignatius Prewitt. Mayhaps it would pass the them?"

Alice smiled, enjoying the speculation. Only she knew that Orion only threw Sirius out of the house and did not formally disown him. Brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, she threw in, "It could pass to his cousin, Pollux. That would lead it to pass to Draco, would it not?"

"Eventually, yes," replied Narcissa. "I must admit, I am much in favor of that possibility."

Conversation continued well into the evening, and Alice felt herself relax. As silly as all the gossip was, it was nice to simply hang out with friends without the worry of war or hiding. Yes, it was nice.

**3 March 2003**

Amelia walked into Flourish and Blotts, looking for a copy of a new defense book when she saw the display. Walking up to it, she read the title of the small book and laughed softly to herself. _Dumbledore's Youth: How a Man Became a Legend_ by Bathilda Bagshot and Erik Summers. Opening the book, Amelia flipped to chapter 10, _A Grindewald Summer_ , and skimmed the chapter.

Upon reaching the end of the chapter, she whispered, "well done Sirius, well done." The book was the genius of Sirius. He wrote to Bagshot under the pen name Erik Summers, and asked her about her new book about Dumbledore. Bagshot had happily replied, explaining the idea behind _Dumbledore's_ Youth and the progress she had made.

With a little research, Sirius discovered that a while back, Dumbledore had given Bagshot permission to write biographical stories of his life. Which, fortunately for Sirius, meant Dumbledore did not approve each book individually. So, Sirius began Erik's quest to help Bagshot write and edit the book. He helped edit the nearly complete book, adding in details about Dumbledore's relationship with Grindewald. Bagshot, ever the historian, then continued to add further detail, facts, and sources, flushing the story out. By the time the book was sent to the publisher, Erik Summers was listed as a co-author, and the section on Grindewald and Dumbledore's relationship encompassed several chapters.

As Amelia closed the book and placed it back on the shelf, she heard the unmistakable sound of Maura Brown behind her. Turning, she greeted the woman.

"Good morning, Maura. How are you?"

"I am good, thank you. I see you looked at Bagshot's newest book. How is it?"

"Interesting, for certain. I do believe the decision to co-author it with Mr. Summers was a good idea."

"Interesting, you say? While her books are usually informative, I would hardly call Bagshot's writing style interesting," Maura responded.

Amelia chuckled softly. Maura's assessment was certainly accurate. Fortunately, Sirius had a penchant for lively and exciting story telling. He always seemed to weave the most fantastic tales out of simple, boring events. "You are quite right. May I simply suggest flipping to chapter 10? It is one of the chapters written by Summers, and it is quite the read." As Maura picked up the book, Amelia headed farther into the store to find her defense book. Maura would take care of spreading news about the new Dumbledore biography.

**March 16 200**

At precisely 10 am, the goblin in charge of the Potter accounts opened the will. Unfolding the parchment, he cleared his throat and began.

_Last Will and Testament of James Fleamont Potter._

_I, James Fleamont Potter, an adult residing at 12 Godric's Hollow, being of sound mind, declare this to be my Last Will and Testament. I revoke all wills and codicils previously made by me._

_I am married to Lily Evans Potter, to which I have referred to herein as my "spouse", and that I have one child now living whose name and birth date is: Harold James Potter, born 31 July, 2000. All references to "my children" in this will include all of the above-named children and also any child hereafter born or adopted by me. My spouse and I are executing wills at approximately the same time in which each is the primary beneficiary of the other. These wills are not being made because of any contractual agreement between us, and either will may at any time be revoked by either maker at the sole discretion thereof. If both of us die together, my will shall be read._

_If this will is read due to my death at the hands of Voldemort, let it be known that spouse, my children, and me were under the protection of the fidelius charm. The secret keeper was Peter Pettigrew. If he betrayed us, all assets bequeathed to him shall be forfeited._

Chaos broke out in the chamber, as the identity of the secret keeper was heard. Frank and Alice stared at Dumbledore, watching as the man's face grew ever more panicked.

"Quiet!" shouted the goblin. "Quiet, and I will continue." The room quickly quieted down, as the audience eagerly awaited what followed.

_If both my spouse and I are deceased, we grant Sirius Orion Black custody of our children. If he is unwilling or unable, then custody shall fall to Alice and Frank Longbottom. If they too, are unable or unwilling, Custody then falls, in order, to Aletha Freeman, Amelia Bones, Remus Lupin (screw the bloody law), Peter Pettigrew, Andromeda Tonks._

_To my dear friend and brother in all but blood, Sirius Orion Black, I bequeath you vault 310. Use it wisely._

_To my dear friend Remus Lupin, I bequeath you vault 311. Please try not to spend it all on books._

_To my dear friend Peter Pettigrew, I bequeath you my shares in Honeydukes. May they bring you much happiness._

_To Neville Longbottom, god-brother of my first child, I bequeath you vault 312. May you, or you parents, use it to buy you all the awesome presents I wish I could._

_The vaults 313 and 314 shall be used to continue yearly donations to St. Mungos and The Magical Orphans Fund in the name of Lily Potter, respectively._

_The rest of my estate I bequeath to my spouse. If she too, is deceased, then it falls to my children. The estate shall be under the management of their guardian until they reach age of majority. The Potter Estates Manager must approve all withdrawals over 1000 galleons. My children shall each have access to their trust vaults, without any restrictions, until they reach the age of majority._

_IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereto set my hand and seal this 22_ _nd_ _day of October 2001._

_James Fleamont Potter_

_Signed, sealed, published and declared to be the Last Will and Testament by Slackjaw in the presence of all of us, who, in the presence and at the request, and in the presence of each other, have hereunto subscribed our names as witnesses:_

_WITNESS NAMES AND SIGNATURES_

_Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore_

_Sirius Orion Black_

_Lily Evans Potter_

Silence filled the chamber as the goblin finished reading the will. Then, slowly, whispers began.

"Albus Dumbledore knew what was written in the will!"

"Sirius Black did not betray the Potters?"

"Do you thing he even attacked the Longbottoms? Was he even a Death Eater?"

"How could Albus do such a thing!"

"I heard Dumbledore also betrayed the Longbottoms!"

"And he was Grindewald's lover."

The whispering continued as Amelia motioned for Shacklebolt and Moody to approach Dumbledore. Quickly, Moody cuffed Dumbledore with magic suppressing handcuffs and said, "Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, you are under arrest for lying to the Auror's, attempting to suppress a last will and testament, and impeding justice."

As Moody led Dumbledore out of the room, Amelia commented out loud, "I suppose we better call off the man hunt for Sirius Black and let him know should he present himself to Auror office for brief questioning, he will find himself a free and innocent man.


	22. A Free Man

**March 16 2003**

Sirius Black was a free man. Well, technically he still had to present himself to Amelia for questioning before he was exonerated, but he was free. Declared innocent. No longer a fugitive of the law. While had hadn't exactly been living it rough (suburbia was surprisingly nice), it felt good. It had hurt, knowing that most of the wizarding world thought him a staunch supporter of Voldemort. That almost everyone believed he had betrayed the Potters. His best friend and brother in all but blood.

"Longbottom manner!" he called, throwing some powder into the floo. Sticking his head in (really he should have the Longbottoms install a phone. Aletha was right, they were a much more enjoyable method of communication), he yelled "Alice? Are you home?"

A moment later he saw Alice enter the room, Neville trailing behind. "Hello Sirius. What can I do for you?"

"Could you watch Lyra for me? I need to stop by Amelia's office."

"Is it happening?" asked Alice in disbelief. "Are they clearing your name?"

Sirius grinned madly, "Yup! I'm a free man!"

"That's wonderful, Sirius. And of course, bring her right over. Do you want to floo into the ministry from here?"

"That would be awesome, thanks. I know Frank has a direct connection to Amelia's office. I'll be over in just a minute."

Half an hour later, Sirius was sitting in a rather comfortable chair in Amelia's office. (His wheelchair having been shrunk and stuck in his pocket. He didn't know who was coming, and would rather not share that development yet). Picking up _Which Broom_ from Amelia's desk (unexpected), he opened it and began reading.

He was reading a review of the newest Nimbus broom when the office door opened. Putting the magazine down nonchalantly, he tried not to let his nervousness show. Following Amelia was Crouch, the same man who decided to declare him guilty without a trial in the first place.

"Why hello Madam Bones, Mister Crouch," greeted Sirius. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Black," splat Crouch, "what are you doing here?"

"Well, I was reading this month's issue of _Which Broom_. I must say Amelia, I am surprised. I didn't envision you as a broom fanatic. But now I am waiting for Madam Bones to question me so we can finalize this whole exoneration business," Sirius finished cheekily.

Amelia sighed. Did Sirius have to antagonize Crouch? She knew he hated the man and was happy to be cleared, but really. Placing her papers on her desk, she sat down across Sirius and examined him. He was wearing an expensive set of wizarding robes, the type she knew he hated. They flowed rather elegantly off his shoulders down to mid thigh. She noticed that between the robes and the way he was sitting he managed to hide the unnatural skinniness and stillness of his legs. So he didn't want his injury known.

"Well, since you decided to show up in my office, why don't we get this questioning over with," Amelia said, pulling out a vial of veritaserum.

"But the decision was announced less than an hour ago!" shouted Crouch, "How did he know to be here?" Crouch questioned, his face turning red in anger.

"I don't know, nor do I care," answered Amelia. He here, and that is all that matters."

"But what if someone was helping him hide? And told him about the Wizengamont meeting?"

"Then good for them? There is nothing illegal in hiding an innocent man. And all Wizengamont proceedings are public knowledge," Amelia sighed. "Mr. Black, are you willing to undergo questioning under veritaserum?"

"Yes, Madam Bones. Shall we proceed?"

"But veritaserum is not infallible! He could still lie," cried Crouch indignantly.

"Mr. Crouch, are you not head of this department? You should be aware that the veritaserum is not strictly necessary in this questioning, as the Potter will has already cleared Mr. Black. It is simply to help verify the facts for our records."

Crouch sputtered, clearly unwilling to believe in Sirius's innocence. Unfortunately for him, Amelia had checked every fact and law on the books. There was nothing Crouch could do. Placing three drops of the potion on Sirius's tongue, Amelia waited for Sirius's eyes to cloud over as Crouch sat down.

"What is your name?"

"Sirius Orion Black."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-three."

"It is working," stated Amelia.

Forty-five minutes a pounding headache later (veritaserum was no fun), Sirius was holding an official pardon from the Ministry of Magic. As Crouch left the room, shutting the door behind him, Sirius gave Amelia a broad smile.

"We did it," he stated, "Thank you so much. Thank you for believing in me."

"No problem, Sirius. Am I correct in assuming you and Aletha will be throwing a party tonight?"

Sirius barked in laughter. "Most definitely! A party celebrating my newfound freedom! How about you come over around six tonight. And bring Mad-Eye. He could do with a party."

"Will do. See you later."

As Sirius unshrunk his wheelchair and flooed out, Amelia smiled. Today was a good day. A very good day. Next up in Aletha's plan to fix the wizarding world was to clean up the ministry. With Crouch's public failure, it shouldn't be too hard to oust him from the department (he was already barely hanging on after Crouch Jr. was discovered to be a Death Eater). Yes, it was a good day.

The Black household was swirling with positive energy as Aletha put the finishing touches on the cake. Sirius was out back starting the grill with Harry, while Lyra watched Aletha from her high chair. While the past year and a half had certainly been wonderful, Sirius's exoneration was welcome news. Aletha loved the muggle world, she had grown up in it after all, but she honestly missed the wizarding word. And she knew Sirius did as well. Having Frank bring back Honeydukes chocolate was simply not the same as actually going there.

As Aletha finished decorating the cake, the floo chime went off, letting her know someone was coming through. Heading into Sirius's office, she greeted Alice with a hug.

"I am so happy for you!" gushed Alice, "I know how much this means to you and Sirius."

"Thank you Alice. Thanks for everything."

"No problem, Sirius did save my family. That makes him part of it in my books."

Guiding the Longbottoms into the living room, Aletha had just placed the salad Alice brought down on the counter when she heard a knock on the door. Opening it, she was greeted by an enthusiastic Nymphadora.

"Where's Cousin Siri?" Asked Dora, her hair cycling through various shades of red, purple, and pink.

"In the garden, grilling," responded Aletha.

"Thanks!" shouted Dora as she went running through the house, eager to Sirius.

"Good evening Aletha," greeted Andy. "I cannot express how happy I am right now. I worried so much," she admitted, "Sirius has suffered so much. I was afraid if he lost you… well, I was afraid if he wasn't cleared I would lose him." She smiled, her face full of love and appreciation. "You are so good for him. I don't know how much he has told you of his childhood, but suffice to say, he didn't really have a loving family. You have taught him so much. And he has changed. Grown up a little. It is good."

Aletha enveloped Andy in a hug, letting the older woman relax into her embrace. She knew. Sirius hadn't said much, but he didn't need to. But she wasn't the only one who helped Sirius. Andy, Dora, Harry, Lyra, they were just as important.

"Come, lets head out to the garden and join the rest of the party," Aletha said quietly.

Out in the garden, Aletha found Harry happily playing with Neville and Susan. Amelia and Moody had apparated into the garden while she had been talking to Andy. Joining her husband by the grill, Aletha greeted him with a kiss.

"How is the grilling coming?" she asked, sitting down on his lap.

"It is getting close," Sirius responded, reciprocating Aletha's greeting. "Not having to worry about your or the kid's safety takes a weight off my chest," he admitted. "It is nice to that nobody can separate us now."

"I agree," Aletha responded, wrapping her arms around him as the couple began kissing again.

"Ow!" cried Sirius, looking up, as Remus appeared, smirking. "I was busy!"

Remus gazed at the couple and grinned. "Do the two of you need to get a room?" he joked.

Aletha looked Sirius in the eye, and saw his laughter. "Maybe we do," she responded seriously, holding back laughter as Remus spluttered.

"We could always try to give Lyra a sibling," Sirius added as Remus broke down and hurried away.

"You know, we could do that tonight," Aletha whispered in Sirius's ear as she stood, leaving her blushing husband behind.


	23. Operation Clean Up: Part 2

**24 March 2003**

Amelia Bones sat at the head of the conference table and looked at the men sitting across from her. Moody, Longbottom, Shacklebolt, and Erikson. All loyal, good men. They had worked for months now, in private, screening the department for Death Eaters and corrupt officials. Today, they would finally act. Today, she would finally clean up the department. Her department.

The March Wizengamont meeting had thrown the Ministry into chaos. All of the sudden, Sirius Black was innocent, Dumbledore was accused of lying to the Aurors, will tampering, and impeding justice. Serious charges. To add to the chaos, the blowback against Barty Crouch, the head of the DMLE had been intense. He had survived the scandal of his son being a death eater, but his actions against Sirius defeated him. Cries of public outrage lead to his reassignment to the Department of International Magic Cooperation.

Amelia Bones, the new head of the DMLE had expected this. And she was ready. After all, the best time to impose radical change was during a time of transition. Radical change, while greatly needed, had not been implemented immediately after the downfall of Voldemort. So now was her opportunity.

"Good morning, gentlemen," began Amelia. "I am sure you can guess as to why we are meeting this morning. Today, we start acting on the intelligence you four have gathered for the last few months. Today, we clean up the department."

"'Bout time," muttered Moody.

"Indeed. We will begin by bring all those we suspect of being marked or highly active Death Eater's into custody. In accordance to the rules of the department, private, immediate trials will be held. Erikson, do you have the list of approved judges?"

"Yes Madam Bones," the young redhead replied, opening a file. "I can send them messages letting them know they should plan to stick around today."

"That would be excellent, thank you. Now, like I said, the trials will be private and immediate. This has already been cleared by the Minister, and we have a jury of Wizengamont members ready to hear their cases."

"Who is on the jury?" asked Frank, knowing this would make or break the cases.

"Abbott, Greengrass, Diggory, Brown, and Black," she replied.

"Lord Black?" asked Shacklebolt.

"No, still Ignatius Prewitt still acts as proxy. The presence of Black and Greengrass will prevent any of the dark families from protesting too loudly. If they do so, it will merely indicate they have something to hide. But I know the entire jury will be fair. Once all those on list number one have had trials, we will move down the lists. Veritaserum will be used to supplement evidence and witness statements. Any questions?"

"No ma'am," the men replied.

"Very well. Lets get to work."

Over the next few hours, aided by other clean Aurors, the four men brought the suspected Death Eaters into custody, while Amelia locked down the department. Except for a small group of hit wizards and Aurors who where 'on call,' nobody was allowed in or out of the department. Communications into and out of the department were monitored, and only those requiring immediate attention were allowed through.

The trials themselves ran quickly and smoothly. Those found guilty of breaking ministry oath were immediately arraigned for criminal proceedings. Even if they managed to wiggle their way out of time in Azkaban, they could never work for or in the ministry again. Again, communications between the guilty and the outside world were blocked. There was no way Amelia was going to let them warn their friends. No, she had permission to clean up the entire ministry, and Merlin damn it, she was going to do exactly that.

By the end of the day, twenty-nine members of the department of magical law enforcement had been fired. While only twelve were arraigned for criminal proceedings, Amelia felt victorious. Everyone else in the department was required to answer a list of questions regarding their loyalties under veritaserum:

"Were you at any time, or are you, a Death Eater or follower of Lord Voldemort?

Do you, or have you at any time, believed in the ideas of Lord Voldemort?

Do you believe in pureblood supremacy?

Have you ever taken money, gifts, or other bribes in exchange for information about the ministry or Auror department?

Have you ever taken money, gifts, or other bribes in exchange for ignoring, downplaying, or otherwise falsifying a crime?

Do you have any loyalties that supersede that of the Auror department?

Is there anyone you report to outside of your chain of command?"

While several members of the department, predominantly older members, had confirmed their belief in pureblood supremacy, Amelia could only act against those who supported Voldemort, taken bribes, or reported outside of the department. After all, believing in pureblood supremacy was not technically illegal. Although, she could assign the older Aurors to desk duty until they retired out of boredom.

By the end of the day, Amelia was confident that every one of conflicted loyalties had been found. Tomorrow she would move onto the rest of the ministry.

**25 March 2003**

The day began with the ministry in lockdown. Once some one arrived at work, they were not allowed to leave. Communications were blocked. Amelia split her Aurors into two separated forces: internal clean up and external raids. While the internal clean up force went through the same process with the entire ministry that she had gone through with the DMLE yesterday, the external raid force gathered in the bullpen.

"Okay, listen up!" shouted Amelia, gathering everyone's attention. "Toady, we will conduct raids on several different prominent manors. Minister Bagnold sanctions all of these raids. All of these raids are unannounced." She paused, making sure every single Auror was paying attention. "This is important folks, never before have we preformed this many simultaneous raids, completely unannounced. The planning has remained completely secret for weeks. This means we are catching these people red-handed. Look for secret rooms, safes, compartments, and etcetera. While I want you to be thorough, remember, these raids should be nonviolent. DO NOT cast any spell, defensive or offensive, unless someone else casts first. If we want these people to be convicted, we must be perfect. Do you understand?"

A chorus of "yes ma'am," sounded through the bullpen as the Aurors split into various teams of four. An unspeakable would join each time, to help identify dark or curses objects.

Frank Longbottom arrived with a small pop outside Malfoy manner, quickly followed by four other pops. Turning to his team, he said, "Alright, lets approach the manor. Lucius should be trapped at the ministry, so only Lady Malfoy and her young son, Draco, should be home. All intel suggests that while Lady Malfoy knew of her husband's involvement in the war, she herself was not. Therefore, we will treat her as innocent unless she acts otherwise. Understood?"

"Yes sir," the team replied.

Frank nodded, and the five of them made their way up the path to the front entrance. Frank knocked, pulling out the official search warrant. "This Auror Longbottom from the DMLE. Is anyone home?"

A house elf opened the door and looked up at Frank. "This be Miffy." The house elf looked at the warrant, Frank holding it lower so she could get a better look. "Aurors may stand in entry while Miffy fetches Mistress Malfoy."

With a pop, the elf disappeared, leaving the five to enter the house. The entryway was grand, made almost exclusively of marble, with several tapestries on the hall. While size wise, Longbottom Manor was similar in size, the Malfoy Manor felt more imposing, less friendly Frank supposed. A moment later, Narcissa Malfoy appeared, dressed in a set of elegant, dark green robes.

"Frank Longbottom," she greeted. "How are you?"

"I am well, Lady Malfoy. I am afraid, however, that I am on official business."

"Narcissa, please," she replied, taking the warrant Frank handed her. Reading the warrant quickly, a sight frown appeared on her face briefly, only to quickly disappear. "I suppose I better cooperate."

"That would be best for both of us," replied Frank.

"Very well, you may come in. Miffy!"

"Yes Mistress Malfoy?" asked Miffy.

"Prepare some tea for our guests. I imagine they will be here for quite a while."

Miffy bowed, and popped away, leaving the Aurors to begin their search.

Three hours later, Frank was growing frustrated. They had found several small items with minor curses, but nothing major. A few fines, and Malfoy would be free. Just as he was about to call it, Auror Franklin shouted from the next room over.

"Sir! You better come here! We found something."

Frank hurried into the room next door to find Franklin and the Unspeakable standing next to a hidden vault in the floor.

"There are several major cursed items in this vault," began the Unspeakable. "But the worst of them is this dairy here," he explained, handing Frank a small leather bound diary.

The moment Frank held the diary, he felt the dark magic emanating from it. Remembering what Madam Bones was hoping to find in the manor, he cast a spell on it, and immediately dropped the diary upon seeing the results.

"Damn," he muttered, "Do we have a magic suppressing container?" he asked the Unspeakable.

"Yes, place the object in here, and all auras should be neutralized," explained the Unspeakable as he withdrew a large box from a pouch on his belt.

"Thank you. Franklin, return to the DMLE and alert Madam Bones that one of the items was found, as expected. Tell her I want her at Malfoy Manor as soon as possible. And make sure Lucius Malfoy is in a holding cell."

"Yes sir," nodded Franklin, as he headed to the library to floo back to the ministry.

By the time Amelia arrived at Malfoy Manor, the house was in lockdown. Frank had a nice pile of cursed objects, but most importantly, he had one of the horocruxes. It was safely secured in a magic suppressing box, waiting for her to bring it to Gringotts to be destroyed. Three down.

"Lucius Malfoy is safely in custody at the ministry. Where are Narcissa and her son Draco?" Amelia asked Frank.

"She is in the library with Draco. Auror Smith is watching, but has not taken her into custody."

"Very well, lets go talk to her, shall we?"

Frank nodded, and the two entered the library, dismissing Smith.

"Hello Narcissa," began Amelia. "I am sorry to keep you here, but you must understand we found some rather illegal items in the house."

"I understand," replied Narcissa curtly, "you are only doing as you must."

"Indeed. Auror Longbottom will take you to the Ministry. You will not be placed in custody at this time; you will merely wait in my office until we can talk. Is there anyone you want me to contact? Anyone you want to look after Draco? You are more than welcome to bring him if you want…"

"Yes. Could you contact my sister please? Andromeda Tonks. She will look after Draco. And Lord Black. I believe he would like to be involved. I am sure you know how to contact my cousin."


	24. Narcissa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really enjoyed writing this chapter, so I hope you enjoy. Let me know what you think of Narcissa.

 

**23 March 2003**

Narcissa Malfoy was enjoying a pleasant breakfast when a dark, elegant owl swooped into the dining room, landing in front of her. Cautiously, she untied the letter attached to the owl's leg. "Go off to the owl room and someone will feed you," she muttered as she unrolled the parchment. The parchment and ink were high quality, but the penmanship seemed off. It was calligraphy, indicating the letter was an official one from a Lord or Head of House, but something about the handwriting seemed off. Like the writer was out of practice, slightly careless. Flattening the letter, she began reading.

_Narcissa Malfoy nee Black,_

_As a member of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black, you fall under my responsibility as the new Lord Black. Therefore, I believe it prudent for us to meet in person, and discuss several things of a delicate nature. I shall be at Nobu, located in The Metropolitan Hotel, London at 1 o'clock. The restaurant is muggle. Please dress accordingly._

_Sincerely,_

_Lord Black_

Narcissa frowned. A muggle restaurant? That was certainly unusual for a Lord Black. But, then again, the Lord Black seemed to be looking for secrecy, if the lack of announcement regarding his identity was any indication. Maybe a muggle restaurant was the only way to achieve this. Regardless, she was curious enough to go. Finishing her breakfast, she stood, taking the letter with her. This was not something she wanted Lucius to find out about. At least not before she had a chance to speak with the new Lord Black.

At precisely one o'clock, Narcissa entered the restaurant. She was dressed in an elegant navy blue dress, with a black shawl. The dress, while designed by a wizard, was of a muggle style. As much as the wizarding world tried to pretend otherwise, fashion, especially women's fashion, was similar to upper class, conservative muggle wear. Walking up to the hostess, she smiled.

"I believe I have a reservation," she began, "under the name Black."

"Yes Ma'am," responded the hostess as she ran her finger down the list of reservations. "The other member of your party is already waiting for you. You have a private room in the back. Let me show you."

Narcissa followed the hostess through the restaurant to a quiet room in the back. The hostess opened the door, allowing Narcissa to step through. Sitting at the table, dressed in an elegant black suit, was the last man she expected to see. Sirius Black.

"Good afternoon, Narcissa," greeted Sirius.

"Good afternoon, Lord Black. I must say, you are the last person I expected to find here. After all, you were disowned over seven years ago. And before that, I remember you hating the whole idea of becoming Lord Black."

Sirius flashed as smile, his eyes showing a hint of mischief. "Turns out I was never properly disowned. It appears Arcturus and dear old father did not see quite eye to eye on the matter. As for the not wanting to become Lord Black, well, we can't always get what we want, now can we. And Narcissa, call me Sirius. We are cousins after all."

"Very well, Sirius," Narcissa nodded, sitting down. "Shall we discuss what prompted this meeting?"

"We will, we will. But first, tell me about your son. He is roughly Harry's age, is he not?"

Narcissa eyes softened at the mention of her son. Despite what others might think, she really did love the boy. "He is. He will turn three this June. He is a very bright young boy and a promising young wizard. Why, the other day, he exploded a letter Lucius was writing when Lucius refused to pay attention to him. And Harry? You have been taking care of him, haven't you?"

"Yes, I have. And I have a daughter now, Lyra. She is beautiful. The two of them are my life. They are why I hid for so long. Why I am still apprehensive of stepping into the limelight. I want them, especially Harry, to grow up as normal children. Surely you, as mother, must understand." His voice was soft, full of love and adoration, yet simultaneously hard. He was warning her. Letting her know he would do anything to protect them.

"Of course I do. A daughter, you say? How old? And her mother?"

"My wife, Aletha Black nee Freeman. And Lyra will be a year old in May."

"I was not aware you were married." Based on the age of his daughter, Narcissa was fairly certain he was not married when she was conceived. Not that she would say anything.

"It was a private affair. I was in hiding, if you remember."

So Lyra was illegitimate. Although as Lord Black, he had the power to change that. And no doubt had. Eager to learn why he was meeting with her, she asked, "Now that we have discussed the children, may I ask why I am here?"

Sirius straightened, his demeanor turning serious. "It was a favor, for your sister."

Narcissa searched his eyes for evidence of falsehood. Her only sister who was still alive was Andromeda. But they had parted on less than stellar terms.

A waiter entered, bringing in two plates of appetizers. Waiting a moment for the waiter to leave, Sirius took a drink of water.

"Yes, Andromeda," he affirmed, reading Narcissa's disbelief. "The next few days will be important. Very important. Andromeda wanted me to give you a chance. Wanted me to give you an option." He took a bite of food, savoring the flavor. Narcissa followed, sensing he was waiting a moment. Building tension.

"A chance for what?" she asked, the silence bearing down on her.

"A chance to redeem yourself. Our family. To survive and raise your child."

"Is that a threat?" she asked.

"No. Merely a warning. Things are changing, Narcissa. Voldemort is dead. Those who got away with please of imperious or bribes are going to find themselves in trouble."

Narcissa paled. She knew Lucius had bribed his way out of trouble. If what Sirius was saying was true, then things would indeed change. For him. For her. "And how do I take advantage of this chance?"

Sirius calmly finished his appetizer, watching Narcissa. He wanted to be sure. She was family, she was blood, but she had been on the wrong side for years. Yet he remembered the girl she was. He remembered holidays and family gatherings of years past and the quiet young girl she had been. They had never been close; he was younger than her by a few years, and a wild, mischievous boy while she was girly and proper. While he caused mayhem and disruption, she had played with her dolls. But she had never been mean, at least not as a child.

Once she was at Hogwarts, things were different. She was a Slytherin, surrounded by the dark arts, and there was a war brewing. But Andy had still loved her. Had still considered her a sister even after Bellatrix's insanity and cruelty had come out in full force. It was only after Andy ran away with Ted, only after Sirius was sorted into Gryffindor, only after their parents had joined Voldemort, only after Narcissa had been betrothed to Lucius that she had truly turned against him.

He finished his plate and looked into her eyes. They were softer than he expected, more emotional. He pushed, slightly, with legilimency. All of the Blacks were trained in the minds arts. While he was a fantastic occlumens, his legilimency was fairly basic. She could easily feel his presence. Could easily stop him.

He was, therefore, rather surprised when she let him in easily, pushing forwards certain memories. Her love for Draco. Her love for Andromeda. And her resentment for Andromeda, for running away, for marrying the man she loved, for being able to be herself. He kept looking, and found her fear. Her worry that Voldemort would return, and Draco would be forced into the war. Her relief that Voldemort was gone, even if it was only for a little while. He went in further. She had believed in the pureblood ideology, had wanted to be a part of Voldemort's group. But he also saw her repulsion at the lengths Voldemort was willing to go. Her repulsion at the killing of fellow purebloods, the so-called blood traitors. And the doubt. Her growing doubt as to whether Voldemort was right. As she watched muggleborn, half-blood, and pureblood witches and wizards fight back, her doubts grew until she no longer supported Voldemort. Until she no longer believed. And, finally, he saw her sadness, her hatred at the lie she lived. And he knew it was true.

He retreated from her mind, and watched as a single tear fell down her cheek before she composed herself. He took a sip of water and waited, letting the silence fill the room. A few minutes passed. The waiter returned. Removed the appetizer plates. Brought out the main course. And still he waited. Waited for her to say something. Anything.

"Please," she whispered, her voice barely audible. It was all she could say. The great, stoic, perfect Narcissa Malfoy was reduced to a single word.

"You are family," replied Sirius. "You are my family. My blood. And I will help you. But first, I think it is time you talk to Andromeda. It is time you talked to your sister again."

Narcissa merely nodded, and silence returned. Sirius began his main course, and she soon followed. After a few minutes, they began talking again. About simple things. The children's bursts of accidental magic. Harry's preschool. The boy's love of flying. The quidditch teams. And soon, it felt normal. It felt right. They were family.

As the waiter placed the bill in front of Sirius, Narcissa appraised him one more time. "You have changed," she stated.

A sad smile fell across Sirius's face. "Yes. I have." He sighed. "I was always a prankster, immature, rash, and wild." He nodded as Narcissa's slight laugh. "Yes, I am man enough to admit it. But it was my defense. My way of staying sane. Nobody every asked me about my family. Nobody ever questioned why I returned to school pale, thin, and full of nightmares. Because I was the joker, the prankster, the childish, immature boy. How could I ever be involved with anything serious?" He smiled slightly at the pun, but his eyes were full of pain. "But, I had to grow up. I lost my best friend and brother. I was suddenly a father. On the run from the law. I grew up, Narcissa, I grew up."

He closed the check, placing his napkin back on the table. Narcissa stood, and was about to leave when she saw him reach into his pocket and unshrink something. She watched as he transferred himself into the wheelchair and wheel away from the table.

"A gift from your other sister, I am afraid."

"Permanent?" she asked, taking in his thin, still legs. They had been hidden the entire meal, safely under the table. She realized he had done this on purpose. He had hidden his disability to remain strong. To remain in power.

"I'm afraid so. May I remind you everything you have seen and discussed here is to remain private? A secret?"

"Of course."

Narcissa sat in the rocking chair in the corner of the nursery, watching her son play. A set of finely painted dragons zoomed around the room as small wizard figurines fought back. Watching her son play, so innocent and carefree, she knew she had made the right choice.

Looking over the letter in her hands, she made sighed, and stood up. "Miffy," she called.

"Yes Mistress Malfoy?" replied the elf.

"Watch Draco."

"Yes Mistress."

Rolling the letter up, she head up to the owl room. It was time to see her sister again.

**24 March 2003**

A plate of small sandwiches sat next to the next to the teapot. They were neatly arranged, almost more art than food. The teapot, a beautiful porcelain creation decorated with light green flowers, slowly billowed steam, courtesy of the warming charm. Carefully pouring herself a cup, Narcissa looked across the table at her sister. Andromeda.

Andromeda looked as regal as ever, her hair neatly done up in a braid, her makeup impeccable. Her robes, while fairly simple, were tailored to her frame, and a beautiful royal blue. She had clearly dressed up, and Narcissa found herself wondering if it was because she was trying to impress, or prove she belonged amidst the luxury of Malfoy Manor. Or those things even mattered to her.

"How old is your daughter, Nymphadora?"

"She is ten. And full of energy and mischief. I do believe Sirius has corrupted her."

"You were mischievous yourself, if I remember," chided Narcissa. Andromeda's face hardened, and Narcissa grew nervous. But before she could say anything else, it softened once again.

"Yes, at times I suppose I was. Although you had your own mischievous streak as well. Do you remember the time when we were visiting Arcturus's house and Sirius stole your favorite doll?"

Narcissa smiled, it was a happy memory. "Yes. In retribution I stole his broom and hide it under Bellatrix's bed. He was too scared to do anything, and spent the entire weekend morning the loss of his broom."

"You were quite smug about it."

"Rightly so, he was a menace at age five."

Relaxing, the two women fell into conversation, recollecting a childhood spent together, and bridging the schism years apart had formed.

"Tomorrow," began Andromeda, turning somber, "do not warn Lucius. Do not interfere. And, if you need help, ask to contact me or Sirius."

"I will," promised Narcissa. And, she meant it. Andromeda and Sirius were offering her a chance. And, if Sirius was right, it was a chance she was going to need. A chance she was going to take.

Andromeda rose, a turned to leave when she paused. Looking back at Narcissa, she turned and took a step towards her. Narcissa rose, and the two sister met in a hug.

"It is good to have you back, Cissy," whispered Andromeda.

"You too, Andy. I am sorry I let us drift apart so much."

"Me too. Me too."

As Narcissa watched her sister leave, she knew she had a chance. There was still a long way to go, but it was a start.

**25 March 2003**

When Auror Smith requested her to grab Draco and follow him into the Library, Narcissa knew it was serious. She knew they had found something worse than a simple cursed necklace. Settling down in a chair, she picked up a children's book and began reading to Draco, calming him down. She knew Smith was watching, but she didn't care. Her life was about to change, and for this moment, she wanted to simply enjoy her son. To enjoy what she had.

When she heard Amelia Bones dismiss Auror Smith, she put the book down and placed Draco on the floor. Smoothing her features into a mask of indifference, she prepared herself.

"Hello Narcissa," began Madam Bones. "I am sorry to keep you here, but you must understand we found some rather illegal items in the house."

"I understand," replied Narcissa curtly, "you are only doing as you must." Inside, her heart was beating rapidly. Sirius had warned her this was coming, and she knew Lucius kept many dark artifacts in the house, but she still worried. After all, Madam Bones was now the head of the DMLE. She would only be there if things were serious.

"Indeed. Auror Longbottom will take you to the Ministry. You will not be placed in custody at this time; you will merely wait in my office until we can talk. Is there anyone you want me to contact? Anyone you want to look after Draco? You are more than welcome to bring him if you want…"

Narcissa took a deep breath to calm herself, and remembered what Andromeda had said the afternoon before. Looking Amelia Bones straight in the eye, she responded, "Yes. Could you contact my sister please? Andromeda Tonks. She will look after Draco. And Lord Black. I believe he would like to be involved. I am sure you know how to contact my cousin."


	25. A Black Family Reunion

**25 March 2003**

Narcissa breathed in deeply, calming her nerves as she sat in a small room in the center of the DMLE. Roughly two hours had passed since the Aurors had escorted her to the ministry, Draco in her arms. Andromeda had arrived, only about half an hour later to pick up Draco and whisper words of reassure in her ear. "Lord Black is on it," she whispered, "there is no need for you to worry." But Narcissa was worried. She was well aware that many of the items in Lucius's possession warranted time in Azkaban. While they were not hers, they had been found in her house. She took another deep breath and practiced her occlumency, hoping her nervousness was not showing.

Just as she reached a state of peace within her mind, the doors opened and Amelia Bones walked it, a young, redheaded Auror on her tail. Carrying a thick file and a small vial of a clear liquid, Auror Bones sat down across from Narcissa.

"Good Evening Narcissa. How are you?"

"Well enough, is Draco okay?"

"He is with Andromeda Tonks. I believe her plan was to take him to Lord Black's house. He should be safe enough."

Narcissa nodded. She trusted Andromeda to take care of her son, but simply knowing he was likely behind Black family wards gave her greater confidence.

"Now," continued Auror Bones, her face settling into business, "Let's talk, shall we? I just finished speaking to Lord Black. He indicated to me that you meet two days ago and discussed your role in the family. He indicated that while Lucius Malfoy, your husband, was a supporter of Voldemort, you were not. Is this true?"

Narcissa nodded, "That would be correct."

"And the only reason you did not contact the Aurors was because you feared for the life of yourself and your child?"

Again, Narcissa merely nodded.

"Very well. Recently, the Ministry has undergone a… shall we say… dramatic restructuring. Any power Lucius may have held before is gone now. He just might not realize it." Auror Bones opened the file, laying out a series of photos and a list of charges. "These are a few of the dark artifacts and charges we are preparing. If, and may I reiterate if, what you and Lord Black claim regarding your loyalties is accurate, you shall be released into the custody of Lord Black. You will then serve a three-year parole. If during that time you commit any crime, we will return to these charges. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Narcissa managed to reply weakly. "I understand."

"Very well. If you consent, we shall confirm these loyalties under the influence of veritaserum. As Lord Black is unable to attend this session, Theodore Tonks, your brother in law, has offered to act on your behalf. Do you agree?"

Narcissa took a moment to think. She did not really know Theodore. Andromeda clearly loved and trusted the man, as she ran away to marry him, but Narcissa had never actually had a civil conversation with him. She remembered Bellatrix insulting him as a dirty mudblood, but she was unsure if she had ever said anything to him. But, if she was going to do this, then she was going to have to trust Sirius and her sister. If they sent Theodore to act on her behalf, then they must trust him. Taking a leap of faith for the second time that day, she agreed.

Theodore Tonks entered the room carrying a black leather brief case. Placing it on the table, he opened it up and pulled out a piece of parchment. Handing the parchment over to Auror Bones, he explained, "This is a list of questions I have prepared for you. Any question you ask my client not on this list will be considered an assault. Do you agree?"

Auror Bones looked over the list, and read through the questions. They were fairly simply, and clearly were designed to skirt around some issues, mostly by utilizing the present tense, but they seemed to cover everything. "I agree. Shall we begin?"

Narcissa nodded, and the redheaded Auror stepped forward and placed three drops of liquid on Narcissa's tongue. Waiting a moment for the potion to take effect, Auror Bones began.

"What is your full name?"

By the time Narcissa was released, she was exhausted. Following Theodore Tonks out of the interrogation room, she was pleasantly surprised to find Andromeda waiting for her.

"Good evening Cissy."

"Good evening. How is Draco?"

Andromeda smiled, "He is just fine. As a matter of fact, I can take you to him right now."

"I would appreciate that."

Andromeda nodded and indicated that Narcissa should follow her as she headed towards the elevators.

Theodore kissed Andromeda on the cheek and added, "Say hi to Sirius and Aletha for me? I promised I would drop Dora off at a friends house for a sleepover tonight."

"Will do," Andromeda replied as Narcissa merely watched. Her sister seemed so happy and relaxed with her husband, they appeared to truly love each other. While she and Lucius had gotten along just fine, they never shared that type of connection. Yet another reason she was convinced she had made the right choice.

Stepping out of the elevator into the main lobby, Andromeda took Narcissa by the arm.

"I am going to apparate us to somewhere now. I cannot tell you where at the moment, but we will meet Draco there. Are you ready?"

Narcissa merely nodded, and with a pop, she felt herself being squeezed until they reappeared on a quiet street. Following Andromeda as they rounded the corner and crossed the street, Narcissa realized where she was. Sirius's house.

Inside the Black house, chaos reigned. Somehow, throughout the day, Sirius went from being in charge of two small children, to in charge of five. It started simply enough. It was Friday, which meant Alice dropped Neville off around 1 pm as usual. The two would play happily together, while Sirius supervised. Then, around 2:30, Dan Granger had called asking if he could watch Hermione for the evening, as the babysitter had cancelled last minute. Since they had done the same only a week or so ago, Sirius readily agreed. Hermione was an easy child, and Aletha usually returned from work around 3:30 on Fridays. So Dan had walked Hermione over.

The chaos really started when only about fifteen minutes later, Sirius received a floo call from Andy letting him know Malfoy manner had been raided, she had Draco, and he was needed in Amelia Bones' office. So, he asked if Andy could bring Draco over and promised he would head to Amelia's office as soon as Aletha returned from work.

At 2:52, Andy arrived carrying Draco. Ten minutes later Aletha returned home to find five toddlers in the house and Sirius preparing to leave. Five minutes after that, Sirius was in Amelia's office. It took about an hour and a half for Sirius, with the help of Ted's legal expertise, to work out a deal with Amelia. Flooing home, he sent Andy back to the DMLE.

On the home front, not much was better. Draco, unaccustomed to either sharing with others or a mostly muggle household, was throwing a fit. Aletha had tried to get the boys to clean up the blocks they were playing with before taking out toy brooms, but Draco simply refused. So, while Aletha dealt with a two-and-a-half year old's melt down, Sirius took the rest of the kids outside and supervised Harry and Neville's flying while Hermione tried to teach Lyra her colours (unsuccessfully to Hermione's disappointment, as Lyra was still less than a year old).

By the time Draco had finished his tantrum and helped Aletha pick up the blocks, it was almost 5:30, dinner had not been started, and the children were growing hungry. So, setting his newfound cooking skills to work (he really was only capable of the basics), Sirius set about making some dinner. Mac and Cheese with a side of peas, to be precise. Half an hour later, the food was ready, and Sirius and Aletha had conjured extra booster seats and chairs, and expanded the table.

It was part way through dinner, around 6:30, roughly four hours after being brought into the DMLE (it was amazing how fast Amelia could get someone through the system when she wanted to), when Narcissa and Andromeda entered the room.

Narcissa, despite being raised to be a proper upper class lady, could not help but laugh when she entered the Black household. Sirius Black, serial dater, prankster, and rebel extreme, was currently trying to convince Draco to eat while balancing a sleeping baby in his arms.

"Come on Draco, just one bite? Everyone else is eating their food."

"No," the two-year-old replied stubbornly, his bowl of mac and cheese untouched. Hearing new voices, he turned around as much as he could as shouted "MAMA!"

Now, normally, Narcissa would reprimand her child for such a display. But, given her day and her own less than poised entrance, she merely crossed the room and scooped her child up.

"Hello darling, how was your day?"

"Ma'e cwean," pouted Draco, his lower lip sticking out an admirable amount.

"Aletha asked to boys to clean up after themselves," Sirius explained.

Narcissa nodded, then blushed, realizing she had not actually meet most of the people in the room.

"Ah, I suppose I should introduce you, shouldn't I?" laughed Sirius. Gesturing with his free hand, he began, "This lovely lady is Aletha Freeman-Black, my wife."

"A pleasure to meet you Narcissa," replied Aletha.

Narcissa looked the woman over. She was young, probably about 23, Sirius's age, and rather attractive. Narcissa thought back to her Hogwarts years and tried to remember her. A ravenclaw, she thought. And a mudblood… or muggleborn she corrected, knowing Sirius would not stand for any of that. "Pleased to meet you," she responded simply.

"Next to her is my godson Harry, who is only a few weeks younger than Draco. The other young boy is Neville Longbottom, Frank's son, as I'm sure you know. And across from him is Harry's friend, Hermione. She lives next door and is a young witch herself."

"Pweased to meet you," replied Hermione smartly. Narcissa was surprised to hear the girl was a neighbor, as she thought Sirius was living in a muggle neighborhood.

"And lastly, but certainly not least, in my arms, sleeping through all the excitement, is my daughter, Lyra," Sirius finished with a smile.

Narcissa looked at the baby in Sirius's arms again and could see the family resemblance. The girl had light brown skin, several shades lighter than her mother's but very much not the pale white of the Black family, but her face appeared to have some of the characteristic aristocratic features found in Sirius, Andromeda, and herself.

"She is beautiful," Narcissa replied, for in truth, she was. Even if she was not a pureblooded Black. But, then again neither was Andromeda's daughter and she was a metamorphagus.

"Well, if you want, you are more than happy to join us. The kids have mac and cheese while Aletha reheated some leftover chicken and rice for the adults. We have plenty for both of you," Sirius said, nodding to both Narcissa and Andromeda.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm having dinner with Ted," Andromeda replied. Crossing to the room to Harry, she planted a kiss on Harry's forehead. "That's from Ted. He sends his love. And I'm sure Nyphadora would love to stop by this weekend."

"An fwy?" asked Harry.

"And fly."

"I…" Narcissa trailed off as she looked at Sirius's face. She was about to say she had to leave, but something in his eyes made her change her mind. "I guess I can stay for a little while," she amended as Aletha conjured another chair.

Sirius simply smiled. He hoped that maybe this was his chance. His chance to truly fix the Black family and restore it to its glory.


	26. The Muggleborn Conversation

**2 May 2003**

Sirius awoke and groggily rubbed his eyes. Turning to his side, he was surprised to find Aletha had already gotten up. Usually on Sundays, she liked to sleep in while Sirius dealt with the kids. Checking the clock, he discovered it was already 9:30. Deciding he had slept in enough, he pulled back the covers to get out of bed.

A few minutes later, he entered the kitchen to find Aletha flipping pancakes.

"Good morning," he greeted, grabbing her hands and pulling her down for a kiss. "A sleep in and pancakes. What have I done to deserve this?"

"Oh nothing, I just felt like it was the appropriate way to celebrate," she answered mischievously.

"Celebrate?"

"Mhhm."

"Celebrate what?"

Before Aletha could respond, Harry came running in from the living room and clambered onto Sirius's lap.

"Daddy! Daddy! I'm gunna be a big bwoder!"

Ruffling Harry's hair, Sirius responded, "You already are pup. You are a big brother to Lyra."

"No, Mummy say I gunna be big bwoder adain."

Sirius looked up at Aletha again, and watched as she broke out into a giant smile. "Your?"

"Pregnant, yup."

"That's amazing!" He reached his arms around her waist as she removed the last pancake from the stove pulling her into his lap as Harry climbed off. "I'm going to be a father, again!"

Sirius placed a hand on Aletha's stomach, thinking about his child to be. Despite being thrown into fatherhood rather suddenly, he found he loved it, first with Harry and then with Lyra. He had wanted another child, but it was unclear whether or not he would be able to father another after Bellatrix's curse. But now… Now he was simply in heaven, pancakes and sleep in forgotten.

**15 May 2003**

"That was brilliant!" exclaimed Dan. "Absolutely brilliant. I can do this again, right?"

"Anytime Emma and Aletha let us," Sirius agreed as he drove the motorcycle back into the garage.

"Therein lies the problem. As far as Emma is concerned, the only thing worse than a motorcycle is a flying one."

Sirius smiled fondly, "Lily used to say that to my best mate, James. We argued that with all the safety and cushioning charms I had added, the motorcycle is actually safer than most cars. Besides, it flies!"

"And that is why it is ruddy brilliant." Giving the bike one last fond look, Dan dismounted and headed towards the door. "I'll let Emma and Aletha know we are back and you are just checking over the charms."

"Thanks."

Sitting on the back patio, watching the Harry and Hermione play with Harry's toddler snitch, Emma thought back to the conversation she had with the Blacks back in March. "Aletha, Sirius, you said when you first told me Hermione was a witch that we would usually be told only when Hermione turned eleven. Why not earlier?"

Sirius opened his mouth to respond, but stopped. In all honesty, he wasn't sure. Pureblood purists argued it was a risk to the statute of secrecy to tell muggleborns earlier and parents would kill their children if they knew, but if he thought about it, that didn't make sense. Those ideals were remnants of the witch burning days. After all, in an age of science and logic, muggle parents were likely to notice something was different about their child long before their eleventh birthday and take them to a doctor in order to try and figure out what was up. By knowing where magical children were, they could step in if there was a case of abuse or neglect. Besides, telling muggleborns and their parents earlier would allow them to adapt better to wizarding society, be properly prepared for Hogwarts, and stand out less. The more he thought about it, the more he realized he couldn't think of a good reason to wait.

"Honestly," he finally responded, "I don't know. It makes sense to tell a family as soon as the ministry picks up on accidental magic."

"So the ministry already knows Hermione is a witch?" Emma asked, confused.

"Normally I would say yes, but I set up a series of wards around my house that essentially hide the fact that it is a wizarding home. There is a fair chance that those wards would interfere with the ministries ability to sense Hermione's magic unless is was a case of intense accidental magic."

"So she is hidden?"

"In essence, to an extent."

"Hermione is lucky though," Aletha added, "I am muggleborn as well, meaning neither of my parents were magical. Adjusting to the magical world was quite a challenge for me, especially since I started Hogwarts during the war. Hermione hopefully won't have the same problem. She will know all about Hogwarts and magical history. She will likely know a few basic spells simply from watching me and Sirius."

"These things are important?" asked Dan, growing interested.

"Very much so," Sirius sighed. "Wizards and witches live longer than muggles if allowed to reach old age. I know several people who are well over a hundred years old. As a result, wizarding society is a little old fashioned. We live longer, remember things longer, and change slower. So when muggleborns enter the world and ignore social customs and niceties, the purebloods take it as insult, even if it simply lack of knowledge."

"I remember meeting Augusta Longbottom in Diagon Alley while shopping for supplies before first year. I tripped and landed on her feet, spilling my books everywhere. Embarrassed, I quickly picked them up and muttered a quick sorry," Aletha explained.

"Now this might seem fine to you," continued Sirius, "But Augusta Longbottom is Lady Augusta Longbottom and was at the time regent for House Longbottom. She expected Aletha not only to give a formal apology, but also to greet her like the important woman she is in the wizarding world. Luckily for Aletha, Augusta is a relatively liberal woman. She let the incident go upon realizing Aletha was a first year muggleborn. But had that been my mother instead…"

"Let's just say I probably wouldn't be around today," finished Aletha.

"Really?" asked Dan, his eyes full of disbelief

"Really. Although I might add my mother is one of the worst blood supremacists out there and believes all muggleborns should be killed." A wicked grin spilt across Sirius's face as he turned to his wife. "Do you think if I tell her I married a muggleborn to embarrassment would kill her?"

"Probably not, sorry Siri."

"Darn, might be worth it just to see her face."

"That would involve meeting her."

"On second thought, let the woman rot away in Grimauld alone."

Dan and Emma shared a look of confusion. Sirius was a nice guy, and if his description of his mother was even half accurate… well they certainly didn't want to meet her.

"But back to the matter at hand," started Sirius, "Yes, knowing about the wizarding world and being a part of it from a young age will help Hermione immensely. She will even go to Hogwarts already knowing some of her future classmates such as Harry and Neville."

"I'm glad it will help her," began Emma, "but I wish there was some way we could give the same advantage to all the other muggleborns out there."

Sirius looked at Aletha, meeting her eyes for a moment. Seeing her agreement, he tentatively replied, "We might actually be able to do something about that…"

**5 June 2003**

Chaos grew exponentially with the number of children, Aletha decided. There was simply no other explanation as to why getting ready for a trip to the beach was taking so long. First, Harry's swim trunks had gone missing. After about ten minutes of moving room-to-room accioing the trunks, Sirius had remembered they were still in the trunk of the car. Hopefully nobody noticed the small article of clothing jumping around the trunk as she tried to summon it. A few minutes later, Harry was dressed, only to find Hermione forgot her water wings. So, holding the three (and three quarter!) year old's hands, Aletha made her way over to the Granger residence, where Emma appeared with the forgotten floaties. They were just getting ready to leave, when Dora (clumsy as ever), managed to topple over the large container of blocks in the living room. So they paused, and cleaned up the mess.

Finally, thirty minutes after they were supposed to leave, Aletha climbed into the passenger seat of the car. Sirius, giant grin on his face, started the engine and asked, "Who is ready for the beach?"

"ME!" cried the three oldest as he pulled out of the driveway.

"So, what does everyone want to do once we arrived?" he asked, his face full of excitement.

"Swim!"

"Sandcastle"

"Bigger Sandcastle!"

"Magic sandcastle?"

"There will be no magic at the beach," warned Aletha, turning towards her husband. "Even to build massive sandcastles. It is a muggle beach."

"But what if it is subtle? So nobody notices?" pouted Sirius.

"No. But, if you behave, we can get ice cream." With that, all of the children (Sirius included), celebrated, promising to be good.

The beach was beautiful. Long, sandy, and sunny. As Sirius grabbed Lyra from her car seat, Aletha enlisted Dora's help to grab the buckets, floaties, towels, cooler, Harry, and Hermione. (The beach supplies were inside a bottomless bag, not that Aletha would tell). Making there way down the sidewalk, Dora, Harry, and Hermione scouted out the perfect sand.

"There!" Dora shouted, pointing a dry patch of sand near a small river of water. "Aletha and Sirius can sit on the dry sand and we can use the water to help with the sandcastle," she explained.

Agreeing quickly, Harry and Hermione followed Dora onto the sand.

"I suppose we should follow," smiled Aletha as she watched the kids start digging in the sand.

"Yup," grinned Sirius, eager to join in the fun. With a subtle levitation charm on Sirius's wheelchair, the two made their way down onto the sand.

Sliding off her shoes, Aletha ran her toes through the warm sand, relaxing on her towel. Next to her, Sirius was on the ground building a sandcastle for Lyra. She watched as Lyra knocked down the towers as soon as Sirius completed them, giggling wildly. After about ten towers, he groaned, lamenting the loss of his fort and began tickling the 'sand monster' on her stomach.

Aletha turned the other direction, and saw the other three attempting to build a massive castle. Dora was digging out a huge moat, piling the sand on the center, while Hermione used the buckets to mold towers. The towers were actually quite good, and Aletha smiled at the sight of Hermione sticking her tongue out in concentration. Harry, in his usual fashion, was trying to imitate his friend. Unfortunately, being almost a year younger meant that he didn't quite have the skill to successfully create the towers. His tended to be destroyed by the bucket as he attempted to lift it.

Satisfied that all the children (again, Sirius included), we happily occupied, she pulled out a book and began reading. She made it roughly three chapters before a small body came plowing into her.

"Go swim?" asked Harry, jumping up and down in excitement.

Aletha put her book down to find Harry, Hermione, and Dora standing eagerly around her. "Alright. Harry, Hermione, lets put on your water wings. Sirius, are you staying here with Lyra?"

"Sure, maybe we will join you later."

"Okay, hands," she asked, waiting as Hermione and Harry each grabbed one. "Let's go swimming."

The water was cold, Aletha discovered. Even only up to her knees, she felt chilly as the waves lapped against her. Hermione too, looked chilly, but Harry and Dora seemed to love the cold water. After watching Dora swim around a bit, she allowed her to take Harry out a little deeper while she remained with Hermione.

"Are you enjoying the beach?" she asked Hermione, keeping an eye on the other two.

"Yah. I like sandcastles."

"I'm glad. What do you think, after those two are done should swimming, should we have some lunch?"

"Pasta?" asked Hermione, growing excited.

"I think we packed some," Aletha responded, laughing slightly at Hermione's excitement. Her current favorite food was pasta with Sirius's Seriously Cheesy Sauce (his name, not hers).

Hermione gave one last shiver as the other two came splashing back to shore, soaked and smiling happily.

"Alright, lunch time!"

By the time they left the parking lot, Dora was the only one awake, and Aletha could tell she was losing the battle against sleep. After a long day of sand, water, and fun, they had bought ice cream. The combination of activity and sugar put the kids out like a light. Even Sirius seemed a little tired.

"Good day?" Aletha asked.

"The best," Sirius responded, kissing her lightly on the cheek. "The last few months were so busy, between the Wizengamont and the trials. I am glad things have slowed down and we have time to spend with the kids. And the new one on the way."

Placing her hand on her stomach, Aletha responded, "I'm glad too. I had grown accustomed to our isolation from the wizarding world. I am glad you managed to keep it away from the kids for so long, but I suppose it is time for Harry to meet some more friends, isn't it?"

"Perhaps, but we can take it slow."


	27. Christmas 2003

**18 Dec 2003**

Sirius couldn't think of a better Christmas present. Sitting next to Aletha in the maternity ward, he held Oberon Alexander Black while she held Polaris Andrew Black. The boys were so tiny, much smaller than Lyra and Harry had even been. Wrapped around Oberon's tiny wrist was a small green bracelet, while Polaris had a blue one. The nurse had explained that they would soon be able to tell the tiny twins apart, but until then, the bracelets would help. Sirius might never have imagined himself as a father a few years ago, but holding his new son in his arms, he felt there was nothing that felt more natural or more right.

When Remus entered the room with Harry and Lyra, Sirius smiled.

"Harry, come meet your brother, Oberon."

Remus lifted Harry onto his lap, carefully sitting him down so he could see his brother. Cautiously, Harry looked at the infant. "My bwother?" He asked.

"Yup. You have two new siblings. Oberon and Polaris. Lyra is a big sister too now."

"He tiny!"

"Yup. But he will grow up big and strong like you."

"Wow," Harry said, and Sirius couldn't help but agree. Wow.

**25 Dec 2003**

Chaos reigned in the Black Household. Christmas was always a slightly chaotic time of year, but when you added in a newly turned eleven-year-old, a three-year-old, and 18-month-old, and two newborns, well chaos just might be an understatement. Aletha and Andromeda had escaped to the kitchen with Oberon and Polaris, while Ted and Sirius took on operation hyperactivity.

Harry was running around the living room, chasing the snitch from Dora's new training quidditch set while Lyra desperately tried to join in. (The bludgers and quaffle had been confiscated the moment Dora tried to take them out inside). A half build Duplo fortress, a pile of books, and a telescope (Sirius believed if he was going to name his kids after stars and constellations, they should know how to find them) in the middle of the living room added to the difficulty.

Sirius watched, a smile broad across his face. When he was in Hogwarts, Christmas had been less than pleasant. It meant going home, dealing with the family, and endless gatherings and functions. Inevitably, it would end with his mother or father calling him a disgrace to the family and sending him to his room. But now, his family brought him joy and happiness. As he watched the kids run around the room, he reflected on how different his kids' childhood would be from his. For starters, they were growing up in a part muggle, part wizard household. They would have the freedom to live in either world. Additionally, while he tried not to spoil them, he never shied from showing his kids affection and love. He certainly did not believe that children should be seen (only rarely) and not heard. And, in contrast to the long-standing tradition of Black bigotry, his kids would NOT be taught muggles, muggleborns, werewolves, veelas, and such were inferior. After all, there mum was a muggleborn and their honorary uncle a werewolf. Yes, his kids would certainly be different.

Finally, Andy announced the completion of lunch just as Harry caught the snitch. With a shout of excitement, Dora and Harry went running into the kitchen, Lyra chasing after them.

After lunch, Aletha left to put the twins to sleep and take a nap herself while Sirius brought the other kids outside to play with the new quidditch set. He was helping Lyra mount a toddler broom when Remus entered the back yard, a package stung over his shoulder.

"Merry Christmas!" greeted Sirius as Harry flew over to him.

"Mewwy Chwistmas!" answered Harry, hugging his honorary uncle. "You fly with me?"

"Not yet," replied Remus, "But I think we might get Daddy to fly with you."

"Daddy fly?" asked Harry looking over at an equally shocked Sirius.

"Yup. Uncle Frank, Mr. Moody, and I have a Christmas present for your Daddy."

Leaving Lyra with Ted, Sirius rolled over to Remus. "A broom?" he asked, still skeptical.

Remus smiled and handed the package he was carrying over to Sirius. Ripping the paper off, Sirius held a modified broom in his hands. It was similar to Moody's, with a seat and footplates. Two small handles were attached at the base of the seat to aid in steering.

"We based it off his, but made a little more agile and fast. Less of a pleasure cruiser."

"Its awesome," whispered Sirius, as he ran his hand along the polished wood. He could fly his motorcycle, but it just wasn't the same as a broom. On a broom you could twist, turn, flip, and dive with such ease and speed. He had never been as fanatical about flying as James, but he was close.

"Ready to try it out?"

Sirius grinned, his face alight like a kid in a candy store. "Definitely!"

It turned out that mounting the broom was similar to his motorcycle. It turns out Frank had seen him do that enough times that he could set the broom up so he could do the same. Once he was seated, his strapped his feet onto the footplates and knees against the broom itself. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the broom upwards into the air and accelerated.

The feeling was just as good as he remembered. As he soared across the yard, he could here Harry and Dora shouting and clapping wildly. After a few laps around the yard, he climbed upwards until the people in the yard were small dots. "Alright," he though, "let's check out the diving action." Point down, he accelerated, cold wind whipping through his hair as the group approached. As he neared the ground, he pulled up and felt the broom respond instantly, much faster than he anticipated. He descended the last few feet until he was hovering next to Remus.

"That was brilliant," he laughed. "Thank you so much. And Frank and Moody."

Remus smiled back. "No problem. Shall we see if you can still hold off a bludger?"

"Defiantly. Who's up for a game?"

A few minutes later, Ted was on the group with Harry and Lyra in his lap, forming the cheering squad. Meanwhile, Andy had joined them outside with her broom. With only four people, they couldn't play a real game, so they decided to simply play keep-away, with Sirius and Remus versus Andy and Dora. With Ted as ultimate judge (despite Sirius's cries of favoritism), the four took to the skies.

The game was not particularly fast paced, as only Sirius and Andy had ever played on a team before (her over a decade ago and him as a beater), but it was fun nonetheless. Sirius discovered Dora's devious nature, as she would dare him to perform twists and turns, causing the quaffle to fall out of his lap (and invariably into Andy or Dora's hands). After the fifth time, Remus had cried in exasperation and told Sirius to stop falling for an eleven-year-old's tricks. To which he responded with taunts about Remus's general uncomfortableness with ever being upside-down. After about forty-five minutes, the four headed down the to ground where they were greeted by an excited three-year-old.

**27 Dec 2003**

Sirius was genuinely proud of Narcissa. In only nine months, she had managed to completely adapt to a new life. After Lucius's arrest, she had decided to retake the name Black and move on. While she and Draco still lived in Malfoy Manor and had plenty of money (thanks to the Malfoy vaults which Draco was owner of), life had changed. For starters, once a month Draco would come over and play with Harry, Lyra, and often, Hermione. At Sirius's house, he ate muggle foods (begrudgingly at first), played with muggle toys, and even had to pick up after himself (as much as a three-year-old can). On the home front, Narcissa decided she would spend more time with her son. While she certainly didn't raise him without help, she was Narcissa Black after all, she found she enjoyed the extended time with her son. And, lastly, only a few weeks ago, she started hanging out with Andromeda's friends (muggleborns included!).

Today, however was the big day. Narcissa had declined to spend Christmas day with the Blacks, but had acquiesced to a family gathering during the Holiday season. After much badgering from Andromeda, she had even offered up Malfoy Manor as it was the largest of the houses. So, just after one o'clock, she straightened her robes, and prepared herself for the onslaught.

First to arrive was Andromeda, with Ted and Dora. All three were dressed in new, traditional robes. Narcissa had insisted that if this family meeting was to happen at her house, they were going to look like Blacks.

"Hello Cissy," greeted Andy, engulfing her sister in a hug. "You look absolutely marvelous. The cut of those robes is just perfect! And the green suits you so well."

"You look lovely yourself," she responded, for in truth, Andy did. She looked elegant, poised, and full of confidence. And, Narcissa realized, most importantly, happy. "Come on in to the living room. Dobby?"

"Yes Mistress?"

"Could you fetch Draco and bring him to the living room?"

"Yes Mistress Black, Dobby will," the elf responded with a pop as he disappeared.

"Come on Dora, let's go see your cousin," Andy said, leading her husband and daughter into the living room.

A few minutes later, Aletha stepped out of the floo, the twins in her arms. Both boys were dressed in tiny wizarding robes, Oberon in a deep green and Polaris in a lovely blue.

"These must be Oberon and Polaris," smiled Narcissa looking at the sleeping twins.

"They are indeed. I feel like I haven't slept since they were born. With one it's bad enough, but two!"

"I can only imagine. Is Sirius coming?"

"He should be here any moment. I believe he was chasing Harry around the living room trying to convince him that shoes were necessary."

"Quite the task, I image," Narcissa remarked, remembering how much energy the boy always seemed to have.

With that, Sirius popped out of the floo, Lyra and a squirming Harry in his lap.

"Want down!" shouted Harry trying to get off.

Narcissa raised an eyebrow and Aletha mouthed "sticking charm."

"Can you say that nicely?" Sirius asked as he placed Lyra on the floor.

"I go down, pwease?"

"Sure thing pup," he replied releasing the sticking charm. "You look lovely, cousin."

"Thank you. I see you are capable of cleaning up yourself."

"Well, Walburga did have a love for stuffy formal wear. I would hope I learned something about formal attire during my sixteen years with her," he laughed.

"Custom made?" she asked, looking at the slightly usual cut of the robes. The sleeves, while not tight, where slimmer than usual and the bottom of the robe seemed to be cut to look best while sitting.

"It is, I had an entire wardrobe done on Andy's insistence as all of my robes were at least three years old, and the formal ones closer to seven."

"Well, shall we adjourn to the living room?" she asked.

"Sure, lead the way. Come on Harry, Lyra."

While the afternoon started slightly awkwardly (the majority of the children being unsure as to what to do at a formal sort of affair), the group eventually settled into a happy conversation. Eventually, Ted took the four oldest outside and Aletha returned home with the twins, leaving the three Black cousins. They reminisced about their childhood, thinking back to the grand family gatherings held at the Black estate and the chaos that always ensured (usually because of Sirius).

"Are you going to reopen Black Manor?" Narcissa eventually asked.

Sirius ran his hands through his hair. "I've thought about it. When I took over the lordship at the beginning of the year, I went through the properties. While the Manor is unoccupied, I am not sure how I feel about reopening it. Maybe once I make it known I am the actual Lord Black."

"And when will you do that?"

Sirius looked over at Andromeda, who simply shrugged. "I wish I never had to," he lamented. "I'm sure you know I never really wanted to be Lord Black. But, while a proxy works for now, I will have to change that. Probably by the end of next year."

"That seems reasonable," responded Narcissa. "It will give you time to plan how you will reveal yourself and for the public to get used to the fact that you are innocent."

"Right, revealing myself. You make it sound like some grand production."

Narcissa and Andromeda both smiled slyly. "That's because it is," Narcissa explained. "And it is complicated by your injury." She looked over at Andromeda who nodded to indicate she should continue. "As Lord Black, you will be expected to be powerful, both politically and magically. And, while your injury does not change your magical power, it does provide a weakness. For instance, how well can you duel?"

"Well enough, Frank and I train together, but not nearly as well as I used to. I rely on pure power as I cannot really cast and move."

"Exactly. A weakness in the mind of wizards. Add in the fact that the wizarding world is not exactly accessible…"

"I get it," sighed Sirius, "but what can we do?"

"We hide it as much as possible."

Sirius frowned in confusion and Andromeda stepped in.

"Basically," she explained, "we have to do our best to limit how many people know and how much they know. It's like what Alastor said, what he doesn't know he can't tell."

"You need to walk into the Wizengamont," Narcissa said bluntly. "Is that possible?"

"With crutches, yah, but it's not really walking."

"Not good enough. You have to look natural. And a cane is the most you can use."

"She's right, Siri" Andromeda responded. "The more physically capable you look, the better."

"Great," muttered Sirius, "how do we do that?"

"We create an elaborate illusion," Narcissa replied as if it was the simplest thing.


	28. Grimauld Place

**8 April 2004**

Walburga Black was dead. Sirius supposed he should feel some sort of emotion upon hearing this, but in all honesty, he just couldn't bring himself to care. Well, to care beyond the annoyance of dealing with Grimauld Place.

Grimauld Place. His hated childhood home. The Black primary residence in London. And, according to Andy and Cissy, the optimal place for him to meet with other Lords. Which, was why on a beautiful, sunny spring day, he was sitting in the dark and gloomy entryway yelling back and forth with a portrait of his mother.

"I can and will do whatever I want with this place! I am Lord Black, head of this family. You have no control over me!"

"The traitor has returned! And he's crippled!" shrieked Walburga viciously. "No crippled blood-traitor will ever be head of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black!"

"Well tough it! Because I am. And your portrait is coming off this wall!"

"Never!" the portrait cried in response as Sirius ran his hands through his hair exasperated. The moment he had entered the house she had begun shrieking. So naturally, he immediately went to war with the portrait, only to discover she must have used an abundance of permanent sticking charms. So, here he was, shouting at his mother's portrait waiting for Remus to arrive with a sledgehammer. He figured if he couldn't remove the portrait, he would simply destroy.

Finally, Remus arrived, with said sledgehammer slung over his shoulder. As soon as he entered the entryway, Walburga threw even more insults.

"Filthy werewolf! How dare the cripple bring such filth into my house! How dare he!"

"Lovely woman," remarked Remus.

"Right. Can we just get this done with?"

"In just a moment. I want to try to give her portrait a heart attack." Sirius just raised an eyebrow as Remus stepped directly in front of the portrait. "You know, Sirius here married a muggleborn and had three half-blood children. And, he reinstated Andromeda, he husband, and half-blood daughter into the household. Narcissa left Lucius, and Ignatius Prewitt sotes the Black seat on the Wizengamont. Oh, and me, the werewolf? Engaged to a muggle."

"Congratulations!" added Sirius, "When did this happen?"

"Yesterday," Remus finished. The two men simply watched as Walburga spluttered, turning bright red, unable to say anything.

"You know, I think you might have done it," Sirius said, congratulating his friend. "Nice work."

"Thank you, I've always been the best with words, haven't I?"

"Quite right. Shall we?" Sirius asked, pointing to the sledgehammer.

"Yes, you want a go?"

"Why not," Sirius finished, locking his wheels in place and picking up the sledgehammer. Walburga's portrait stepped back, a look of alarm spreading across her face as Sirius swung the hammer first back, then forward. With a pleasant 'whack,' the head impacted the center of the portrait, tearing the canvass and cracking the frame. Walburga screamed in pain, as her torso was crushed.

"Nice hit," complimented Remus as Sirius swung again.

"It was, wasn't it? Guess that's one plus of the chair, good upper body strength. Want a turn?"

"Of course." Remus took the sledgehammer and swung, hitting the top portion of the canvass, completely breaking it into two. Handing the sledgehammer back to Sirius for another go, he unshrunk a crowbar. After Sirius gave the portrait one last good whack, Remus began prying the frame off the wall. "You, know," he explained, "the thing about wizards, purebloods especially, is that they are so ignorant of the muggle world. If Walburga really wanted to ensure her portrait remained on the wall, she should have added a physical shield charm."

"Well, fortunately for us, she didn't. I cannot image ever stepping foot in the house again if she was still there."

Once the portrait (and maybe a small chunk of wall was removed), Sirius led Remus into the house. The library, while full of dark books and artifacts, was in relatively good shape. Sirius figured if they replaced the chairs with something more comfortable, tore off the wallpaper, and painted the walls a bright colour, it might even look inviting. The living room was in a similar shape, as Walburga had spent considerable time in the room. His father's office (or his he supposed), was in slightly worse shape. Orion had died several years ago and Walburga had clearly stayed out of the room. As a result, the room was rather dank and dusty, and the two had to deal with a boggart hiding in a desk drawer. However, unlike the living room, the furniture seemed fine. It was slightly more formal than Sirius liked, but since he would likely use the room for meetings, it would do. The kitchen was the worst. Everything was outdated, slightly broken, and utterly bleak. In addition the entire room was coated in grime. Grimacing, he turned to Remus.

"I vote we scrap the entire room. Renovate it similar to my house. A nice mix of muggle and magic."

"Do you even plan to use the kitchen?"

Sirius shrugged, "Maybe for a formal dinner of two. But it's really more the intention. I also plan on cleaning up the second floor. That's where all the guest rooms are. While I'll never use the upstairs, it might be useful to have the rooms available. What do you think?"

"Sounds like a plan. But first we should get some curse breakers in here."

Sirius laughed. "Some? How about an army? I am sure there are enough dark artifacts in here to fill an entire Gringotts vault."

"True. Do you mind if I look through the library? It looked like there were a lot of rare books in there."

"Sure, just tag anything that's too dark. I'll go through and decide whether to get rid of them or merely lock them in a vault."

The two men separated, as Remus went to check out the library and Sirius contacted Gringotts.

**28 April 2004**

"Amelia!" Sirius shouted into the floo. "War meeting! Grimauld Place! 10 minutes. Let Frank and Moody know!"

"Something important?" Amelia asked, confused by Sirius's sudden announcement.

"Very. Get over here as soon as possible."

"Okay. See you in ten." Amelia watched as Sirius's face disappeared from the flames and stood up. Sighing, she stuck her head out of her office into the bullpen. "Longbottom! Grab Moody and get in here! ASAP!" Amelia smiled to herself, in all honesty, her favorite part of being head of the DMLE was her ability to yell at people and have them do exactly what she wanted.

Ten minutes later, Amelia stepped out of the floo into the living room of Grimauld Place. Looking around the room, she saw Sirius, Andromeda, Ted, and to her surprise, Narcissa.

"Good afternoon," she greeted, taking a seat as Frank and Alastor stepped out of the floo. "So what was the emergency?"

"I found another one," Sirius stated plainly. Everyone but Narcissa straightened up immediately upon hearing his statement.

"Another what?" asked Narcissa.

"Another one of Voldemort's horocruxes. Soul fragments," he elaborated at her confused face.

"Where?" Alastor questioned.

"In this house. It was Slytherin's locket. I questioned Kreature about it before I sent him to work at one of the other properties. Apparently Regulus turned on Voldemort right before he died. Stole the locket and tried to destroy it, but was killed first."

Andromeda stepped in, as Sirius voice filled with emotion. "Sirius hired Gringotts curse breakers to go through every inch of the house and take care of any dark or dangerous artifacts. They found the horocrux and immediately let us know. It is now destroyed."

"So that's four destroyed," Amelia stated. "The locket, the cup, the diary from Malfoy, and Harry."

"There was one of those things in my house?" Narcissa asked quietly, clearly disturbed.

"Shh, we took care of it," soothed Andromeda. "It's gone, and you are free from him. That's why we wanted you here."

Narcissa seemed to relax slightly, so Amelia continued. "Since Andromeda and Aletha," she paused for a moment.

"Aletha's at home with the kids," Sirius explained.

Nodding, she continued "they proposed that Voldemort likely made either three or six horocruxes. The discovery of the locket means it was more than three. So we need to find two more."

"Why not seven? Isn't seven the magical number?" Alastor asked, he eye swiveling around the room ominously.

"We thought seven pieces was the maximum number a soul could split into before dying," explained Andromeda. "But, there could be a seventh. We won't know for sure."

"Right, hopefully it is only six," added Frank. "Any leads on the others?"

"Remember how I contacted Professor Anderson?" Amelia asked. The group mostly nodded. "Right, according to him, Voldemort is Tom Riddle. The diary confirms that theory. Tom Riddle was the son of Merope Gaunt. The Gaunt's had a property where I suspect we might find answers. Unfortunately, records as to where that property are have gone missing."

"More proof," muttered Alastor.

"Any ideas on what to do next?" Sirius asked.

Frank leaned forward, head in his hands. "I know you aren't going to like this Sirius, but it may be our best option. Dumbledore."

Before Sirius protested, Alastor spoke up. "I know you don't like the man, but it's not a bad idea. He isn't evil, misguided maybe, but not evil. And he would have taught Riddle, might know where the Gaunt house is."

"Besides, he has already lost most of his power after the will debacle last year. I know you are disappointed he didn't serve time, but he is no longer Supreme Muggawump or Chief Warlock," Frank finished.

"He's still headmaster," Sirius grumbled.

Andromeda smacked Sirius on the back of his head. "Get over your grudge. This is more important. If Dumbledore might know what we need, we ask him. And you stay out of it. Okay?"

"Yes Andy," Sirius muttered glumly.

"Right, so we ask Dumbledore if he knows where the Gaunt house is. Do we dare ask him if he has any ideas where the last one might be?" Amelia asked.

Everyone fell silent for a moment. The room was hardly full of Dumbledore supporters, but the man might prove useful. Slowly, each person turned to Sirius, as he had the most against Dumbledore.

"Maybe," he began tentatively, "maybe Amelia approaches him asking for information about Riddle. To understand better how he rose as a Dark Lord. In order to create a plan to stop him."

Narcissa nodded along, "It's actually a good idea. It will allow you to ask him about important places in his life where he might have hidden the object. It would also get you inside Hogwarts."

Amelia lifted an eyebrow. "Inside Hogwarts?"

The two Black sisters shared a look. "We have been thinking," Sirius groaned theatrically, "it might be time to give Hogwarts a facelift. It would tie in well with some legislature we have been working on with Sirius."

"Legislature?" Frank inquired.

"Don't worry, you'll be dragged into this soon enough," Sirius muttered.

Amelia cleared her throat. "As important as that might be, three of us are skiving off work to be here. So if that's all…"

Everyone nodded, so Amelia stood to leave. Apparently, she had a conversation with Dumbledore to plan.


	29. Lord Black: Revealed

**15 Oct 2004**

Sirius was nervous. Very nervous. No, scratch that, he was extremely nervous. Checking his robes once more in the mirror, he ran his hand across the crest of the house of Black. He had been Lord Black for a while now, but tonight was different. Tonight would be the night he formally declared himself in front of the Wizengamont as such.

Every minute of the reveal had been planned out. From how he would enter the ministry, to how he would enter the Wizengamont chambers, to who he would sit next to. It was all planned. Every moment, every action would tell the other members something about his strength. About who he planned to align with. Every moment mattered.

Deciding his robes were good, he threw in a handful of floo powder and called out "Amelia Bones' office, Ministry of Magic." With a swirl and a bump, he appeared in her office, facing Frank and Amelia herself.

"Morning Sirius, how are you?" asked Frank.

"Nervous."

Amelia laughed, "Don't you have everything planned out? You'll be fine. Come on, let's go."

Sirius could only nod as Amelia grabbed another handful of floo powder and threw it in, calling out, "Wizengamont entryway."

Unshrinking a cane, Sirius pulled himself to his feet, steading himself on Frank's arm as he shrunk his chair. "Shall we?" he asked.

Frank nodded, and threw in another handful of floo powder. Carefully, he helped Sirius step into the fireplace as he announced their destination. With a quick swirl, and only a mild stumble as Frank caught him, Sirius arrived in the Wizengamont entryway.

This was where the planning came in. Despite being a Black, Sirius was an unknown entity on the Wizengamont. He needed to project power, and as much as it pained him to admit it, walking was part of that. So, with the help of Andy, Cissy, Frank, and Amelia, they had planned everything out.

For starters, Amelia's floo allowed them to floo directly to the Wizengamont entryway, bypassing the need to traipse through the entire ministry. They then planned their arrival early; so likely only one or two other lords would already be there. Sirius would choose a seat on the first level, next to Frank and sit down. When the announcement for him to reveal himself came, he would simply stand up where he was. By sitting in the first row, he removed the need to walk down the stairs to take his oath.

The standing bit was fairly easy. Wearing his leg braces, he could easily stand with the aid of the railing in front of him and a cane (a very acceptable thing for a lord to have) throughout the swearing in process. The problem came in getting from the Wizengamont entryway to his seat with only the aide of the cane. This is where Andy worked her magic.

About a month ago, Frank transformed his ballroom into a replica of the entryway and lower chambers. There, over the period of a month, Andy had worked with Sirius to create a set of charms that would allow Sirius to walk across the entryway to his seat. The charms really were a masterpiece. They combined stability and strengthening charms that allowed him to actually take the two dozen or so necessary steps (awkwardly at best) with perception charms (to hide the awkwardness of the steps). Narcissa had joined near the end, criticizing and correcting everything from his posture to his facial expressions. (Didn't she realize this whole walking thing was damn near impossible? He didn't have the energy to make sure he had a aristocratic smile plastered across his face). Eventually, Narcissa had proclaimed him "Lordly enough for an idiot." (He took offense to that, but Andy and Frank simply laughed).

Stepping forward, Frank and Sirius made their way into the room, slowly walking and chatting, Frank close at Sirius side, allowing him to subtly lean on his arm as necessary. Mercifully, they made it across the room with only a quick greeting to Lord Abbott and reached the staircase. Subtly tapping the side of his leg, Sirius activated the charm that would allow him to climb the ten steps to the first row. (The charm being the reason he needed to sit it in the first row). When they reached the row of chairs, Sirius sank down slowly, letting out a deep breath.

"I am honestly surprised that worked," he muttered to Frank, who sat down beside him.

"I'm not, we practiced that a million times."

"Still, you do realize I am utterly incapable of taking a single step unaided. Yet alone climb a flight of stairs? Have been for some years."

"I did indeed," smirked Frank. "But Andy worked hard of those charms. Those leg braces would have climbed those stairs with or without you."

Sirius let out a quick laugh. "That they would. Too bad its requires precise planning to use the charm."

"But then how would Harry hide away in his room from you? I think the only reason he will remain content to share a room with Lyra is the fact that only one of his parents can get up the stairs to it."

"Fair enough, although Aletha is definitely the one to yell at the kids to clean their rooms."

"But you are the mostly stay at home dad."

With the final say from Frank, the two stopped their conversation as other Lords filled into the room.

"And now," began Madam Marchbanks, "Before we begin this session of the Wizengamont, is there anyone who wishes to address the body?"

Sirius gulped nervously around the room filled with all the most powerful witches and wizards of Great Britain. Taking a deep breath and sending a glance over to Frank, who winked wickedly, Sirius stood up slowly.

"I, Sirius Orion Black, Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, present myself to the Wizengamont to claim my rightful seat," announced Sirius, his voice loud and confident, despite what he felt inside.

All around the room, whispers began as people realized just who the Lord Black was. Just who had been behind Ignatius Prewitt's actions as proxy all this time. And they wondered, just what Lord Sirius Black would be like. He had been accused, condemned, and then cleared as Voldemort's right hand man. Was raising Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived despite Dumbledore's desires, and was raising him in secrecy, away from the wizarding world.

**16 Oct 2004**

The floo sprung to life just as Sirius finished revising the document in front of him. Spelling the ink dry, he stack the parchment neatly and stood up slowly, cane in hand. Just as he locked his knees in place, Lord Abbott stepped gracefully out of the floo.

"Good Afternoon, Lord Abbott. I hope your day had gone well," Sirius greeted.

Lord Abbott laughed cheerfully, "You know very well how my day has gone. I, along with most of the Wizengamont have spent the morning speculating what type of Lord you will be. Interestingly, Lord Longbottom and Lady Bones seemed unsurprised to discover you were the mysterious Lord Black."

"That is interesting, isn't it."

"Indeed, but I am sure that is not why you summoned me to your house."

"No, it is not. Although this is certainly not my house. Far to dark and grim."

"But Grimauld Place is the Black's primary London property, is it not?" Lord Abbott asked, confused.

"You are correct, but as you may be aware, I have been raising Harry these last few years, and this is hardly a place to raise children. I may have renovated the office and cleared out all the cursed objects, but still. And I myself do not have fond memories of the place. Please take a seat," Sirius gestured as he carefully lowered himself back down in the elegant leather chair.

Lord Abbott watched Sirius sit, then followed suite, sitting across the desk from him. Gesturing to the cane, he asked, "Injury?"

"I'm afraid so. A parting gift from some Death Eaters."

"My condolences."

Sirius waved his hand lazily, "It was a while ago, and Frank and I killed them all."

A look of realization spread across Lord Abbott's face at Sirius's last comment. "The attack on Longbottom Manor, you were there. Very interesting. I heard rumors from Crouch that you presented yourself to DMLE less than an hour after being declared innocent. He furious that someone had been helping you evade the Aurors. That was Frank Longbottom wasn't it?"

"All I will say is that Frank and I have been friends since my second year at Hogwarts when I made beater, and his wife, Alice, is Harry's godmother."

Lord Abbott smiled again, as he realized Sirius had shared this information on purpose. He had, without stating, told him that the new Lord Black was aligned with Lord Longbottom.

"Shall we get to business then?" Sirius asked. Lord Abbot nodded, and Sirius began. "I invited you here because I wanted to ask you a few questions and maybe get your opinion on a few things."

"Go right ahead."

"Okay, your wife is muggleborn, correct?"

"Yes," replied Lord Abbott tentatively. Sirius had just indicated he was aligned with a light family, but still…

Seeing the look of concern on Lord Abbott's face, Sirius expanded, "Don't worry, I am merely curious. My wife is as well."

"Your wife?"

"Yes, my wife. I suppose it is not common knowledge that I am married, is it?"

"Not at all. There are many rumors and guesses about what you have been up to, but marriage has not been mentioned. Last everyone knew, you were quite the player."

Sirius smiled fondly, "Yes, I suppose many things have changed. After all, one can hardly spend each night with a different witch and raise a child."

"Quite so, Lord Black."

"Call me Sirius."

"Then call me Matthew."

"Very well, Matthew. I asked if your wife was muggleborn because I plan on introducing a new bill. This law would fundamentally alter how we approach contacting muggleborn witches and witched."

Matthew was surprised by this. He hardly expected this to be the type of legislature the Black family would be involved with. "How would things change?" he asked, curious.

"The bill proposes that instead of contacting muggleborns only when they receive the Hogwarts letter on their eleventh birthday, we contact them as soon as Ministry instruments pick up on their accidental magic."

"Interesting, and your reasons?"

"Muggleborns are at a distinct disadvantage in our world. Not only is there prejudice against them in many employment fields, but they usually are outperformed by their magical raised peers in their first year at school. This means they are often labeled as magically weak even when they are not."

"Outperformed? Are you trying to say they are inferior?" asked Matthew angrily

"No, not at all. What I am trying to say, is that they have to overcome the disadvantage of their muggle childhood. Let me ask you this, by the time you entered Hogwarts, how many spells did you know? How many potions could you brew? How many social customs, manners, and historical events had been drilled into your head?"

Sirius watched as Matthew sat in his chair, thinking. "I am not sure," he finally answered, "But I knew at least a dozen spells."

"Exactly. Even if you were not allowed to perform any, you saw your parents use magic. You were familiar with Latin, and even probably had a Latin tutor as I did. You were familiar with most of the wand movements, if only by observation. You knew how to fly, portkey, and floo. How much of this did your wife know? How much of this does the average muggleborn know?"

"None."

"Exactly. I propose we change this. Make sure muggleborn students enter school on equal footing. Here," Sirius said, handing Matthew a binder, "take this home with you. It is a rough draft of my bill. Share it with your wife. Ask her what it was like for her. Ask her where she thinks the bill needs improvement."

Looking down at the muggle binder in his hand, Matthew paused, "You are serious, aren't you?"

"Always," Sirius joked.

Laughing at the young man, for looking at him, Matthew realized just how young Sirius was, he asked, "Why me?"

"Because the Wizengamont is largely full of pureblooded wizards married to pureblood witches. You, like myself, are an exception. If I want this bill to have any chance of passing, I need everyone I can on my side. Besides, I have hope we can become friends, or at least allies. After all, while I might be raising Harry in the muggle world, I want him to have wizard friends. He loves hanging out with Neville and Susan, both of which are friends with your daughter."

Matthew merely nodded, taking in all the information Sirius had shared. And it was quite a lot. In their meeting, he had learned more about the mysterious Lord than he suspected anyone else knew. Well, apparently besides for Frank Longbottom and Amelia Bones. Standing up, he responded, "I think that might just be possible. Am I correct everything discussed here is to remain between the two of us?"

Sirius smiled, "Of course."

"Well, you have given me a lot to think about. Farewell Sirius."

"Have a lovely evening, Matthew."

And with that, Matthew threw a handful of powder in the fire and departed.


	30. The Weasleys

**24 Oct 2004**

Over the past week, Sirius had meet with about a dozen different Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamont. Talking one on one with each person had given him a chance to learn where everyone stood politically and socially. While Frank, Amelia, and Andromeda had kept him largely up to date, there was nothing quite the same as actually talking to people. Outside of Lord Abbott, he pegged Lord Ogden and Lord Greengrass as potential allies. However, unlike with Lord Abbott, or Matthew, he had held off telling any of the others any details about Harry or his personal life. In all honesty, he had been nervous sharing so much with Matthew, but Amelia knew the man well, as his daughter was Susan's best friend, and she trusted him. But after a week of this, he was, in all honesty, quite tired of dealing with Wizengamont members and politics. Which was why he was looking forward to today's meeting.

Just then, the floo sprung to life and Molly Weasley came bubbling out.

"Sirius Black!" she exclaimed, "It has been quite a while since I last saw you."

"It has indeed. Last time I saw you was when I called you in a panic asking how to change a nappy. James and Lily had left me in charge of Harry for the first time ever, and I couldn't remember what to do. Remembering my last mission where Gideon and Fabion bragged about their newest nephew, I called you. I couldn't tell if you were more surprised to be hearing from me or that I couldn't remember how to change a nappy."

A sad smile spread across Molly's face. "Gideon and Fabion laughed for nearly half an hour when I told them."

Pulling out two glasses and a bottle of firewhiskey, Sirius poured two small glasses and handed one to Molly. "To family, may we always remember them."

"To family," Molly repeated.

Gesturing to the chair next to him (he was not behind his desk today), Sirius asked, "So how are your children?"

"They are wonderful! A handful, but wonderful. Bill and Charlie are at Hogwarts already, and the twins are such troublemakers. And I have a daughter, Ginerva. She turned three this summer. How is Harry? You are raising him, right?"

"Harry is doing quite well. He attends a local preschool and loves it."

"Are you raising him alone?"

Sirius smiled, "Actually, I'm married. My wife and I actually have three kids of our own. Lyra, our daughter is two and a half, and our twins, Oberon and Polaris turn a year this December."

"Congratulations. And who is the lovely Mrs. Black?"

"Aletha Freeman. A Ravenclaw who I went to school with."

"We should get the kids together some time. I know Ron would love someone his age to play with. And Lyra isn't that much younger than Ginny."

"Great minds think alike," Sirius agreed. "I was actually hoping you would be agreeable to the children playing together. You see, for security reasons, my wife and I decided to raise our children, Harry included, in the muggle world. Between threats against Harry and our desire for them to have a normal childhood, it just seems better. But, I still want Harry to have plenty of friends in the wizarding world. That way he will have friends he doesn't have to hide magic from and will know people when he gets to Hogwarts."

"The Burrow is always open to you and your family."

"Thank you Molly, it means a lot to me. Truly."

"Your welcome. Well, I best be off, I left Percy in charge with some monitoring charms, but I'm sure you know how kids can be."

Sirius barked in laughter. "Honestly, Molly, I have no idea how you raised seven. I only have four and am in over my head."

"I'm sure you do just fine," she smiled, standing as she put her glass down.

Sirius grabbed his cane and started to stand shakily, as the chair was not as high as his desk. Seeing his struggle, Molly grabbed his free arm and helped him up.

"I'm afraid I don't stand as well as I used to," he explained, "A gift from Bellatrix Lestrange…" Looking his legs and leaning his weight on his cane, he stuck out his hand, and Molly shook it. "I'll be in contact about getting the kids together, okay?"

"Absolutely," and with that, Molly left.

Sirius sat back down, and rubbed his eyes wearily. He had known, and Andy and Cissy had reminded him, that revealing himself to the wizarding world would change things, but he had not truly been prepared. Everything was moving so fast. Alliances had to be made, bills pushed through the Wizengamont, and through all this, he had to both introduce Harry to new people and keep him safe. He had discussed with Aletha, in detail the pros and cons of every decision he had made regarding Harry. But still, he worried. The Weasley's were a kind, caring, light family, but they were also historically supporters of Dumbledore. So, naturally, he worried. Wasn't that the job of a parent?

**9 Nov 2004**

"Harry! Do you have your coat? Shoes? Broom?" Sirius shouted down the hall as wrestled a squirming Oberon into a green jumper, as Polaris, in an identical blue one, desperately tried to squirm off his lap.

"Yup!" replied the eager four-year-old. "Can we go yet?"

"In a few minutes. Are Lyra and Mummy ready?" He listened as he heard the telltale thumping of Harry running up the stairs to check. Just as he finished dressing Oberon, Harry stuck his head in the room.

"They weady!"

"Okay pup, head to the office and we can get ready to floo over." As Harry ran ahead, Sirius made sure the squirming twins were securely on his lab and followed.

A few minutes later, Aletha held Lyra in her arms and held Harry's hand while Sirius utilized some weak sticking charms to keep the twins seated as he threw in a hand of floo powder. "You first," he gestures to Aletha.

"The Burrow!" she shouted and stepped in, Sirius close behind.

Arriving in the Burrow was like arriving in chaos. With Molly's five children still at home and a Harry and Lyra already exploring the living room, well there was certainly no shortage of children. Handing the twins off to Aletha, Sirius pulled out his crutches, as the Burrow was hardly wheelchair accessible. He didn't usually use them at home, as he wasn't exactly a useful child wrangler when standing, but he figured with Aletha, Molly, and Arthur, they were probably okay.

"What's that?" one of the redheads, (Fred or George, he thought) asked, pointing to his wheelchair.

"A wheelchair," he explained as he pulled himself up onto his feet. "It helps me get around because my legs don't work right."

"Why not?"

"I was hurt by a bad guy."

"Oh. Does it fly?"

Sirius laughed. Trust a six-year-old to ask the important questions. "Unfortunately not, but I do have a motorcycle that flies."

"That' so cool!" the other twin exclaimed as Arthur laughed.

"You aren't still in charge of the misuse of muggle artifacts office, are you?"

"I am," Arthur responded, "But I'll pretend I didn't hear you say that if you help me with my car."

"Arthur Weasley!" chided Molly, "You are not going to enchant your car to fly! You are supposed to stop people from doing such things!"

Arthur had the sense to look sheepish as Aletha simply sighed. "I've found it is better to simply do what they want with their vehicles," she lamented. Come on, let's take the kids outside while those two chat."

"All right, come on kids! Lets head outside," Molly commanded and all six of the oldest went running towards the door, while Molly grabbed Polaris, leaving Aletha a hand for Lyra.

As the kids went running out the back porch, Sirius shrunk his chair and stuck it in his pocket. "A flying car, you say?" he asked as he carefully made his way across the crowded living room.

"Yes, its in the shed out back. If we go through the kitchen we can avoid the steps."

"Right then, lead the way."

About two hours later, Percy opened the shed door to find both Sirius and Arthur under the car, which was now suspended in the air.

"You see, the placement of the charms is rather important. The first time I charmed my bike, I tried to land gently, only to hit the ground as if I had fallen several stories. I broke my leg and Mrs. Potter threatened to make me let it heal the muggle way and grounded me for two weeks. Turns out the problem is that I put the cushioning charms for landing on the top of the bikes, so they didn't actually do anything."

"So that is why we are placing them on the stock absorbs?"

"Shock absorbers, yah," laughed Sirius.

"Um, Dad, Mr. Black, mum says you need to come in now if you want lunch," announced Percy from the doorway.

"Thanks son, let her know we will be there in just a moment."

"Okay."

Scooting himself out from under the car, Sirius pulled himself up onto a chair. Rearranging his legs, he asked, "Do you mind handing me my crutches?"

Your legs," Arthur began, handing over the crutches.

"Completely useless," Sirius finished, pulling up the end of his trousers a little so Arthur could see the charmed braces he was wearing. "Its funny, its only been a little over three years and already it feels so normal. I guess we adapt."

Arthur merely nodded and the two men made their way back into the house to the dining room where a magically expanded table seated all of them.

"Did you enjoy your play date?" Aletha asked, smiling.

"I did," Sirius replied, placing a kiss on her cheek. "Who is on twin feeding duty?"

"Molly and I decided you and Arthur get he young ones as we watched them outside."

"I suppose that's fair," Sirius grumbled, taking the (conveniently) empty seat between the twins.


	31. Moony's Wedding and Hogwarts Letters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I am trying something new with the letters. Next chapter will probably be similar, so I hope you like it!

 

**13 August 2004**

The weather was absolutely perfect. Not a cloud in sight, a pleasant 75 degrees and a slight breeze. Remus looked out at the Longbottom's yard. Alice and Aletha had worked magic on the garden, transforming it from a simple, if beautiful, yard into a garden paradise. Flowers bloomed brightly all around, and small faerie lights swayed gently in the breeze. At the back of the yard was a simple platform and an elegant white arch, with lilies woven through the lattice. Light blue garden chairs were set up across from the platform, with a simple, light blue carpet laid out in the aisle. Straightening his bowtie, Remus headed into the house itself, where he found Frank and Sirius playing with the kids in the living room. (And there were quite a few at this point, with four Blacks and two Longbottoms!).

"Thank you again for lending me your yard. It is absolutely perfect."

"No problem Remus. You've been a good friend these last few years, and in all honestly, I think Alice would have made me sleep on the couch if I denied her the opportunity to host a wedding," Frank replied.

"Besides Moony, we had to give you one last great party before you joined us miserable souls in marriage!"

"Misweble souls?" asked Harry, who had abandoned the blocks when Uncle Remus entered.

"You dad jokes," Remus explained, picking up Harry.

"Are you nervous?" Harry asked. "Mum said Daddy was."

"No, I'm not. I love Amy very much and want to spend the rest of my life with her."

"Oh. Are you gonna have a baby?"

Sirius and Frank laughed as Remus spluttered. "Um," he began, "I don't know."

"But Mummy and Daddy had Lywa when they got married. Why don't you?"

"Yes they did…" Remus began, looking towards his friends for help. The two men merely continued laughing as Remus struggled to come up with what to say. "Why don't you ask you dad to explain that," Remus finished, placing Harry on the floor and rapidly retreating to sitting room.

"Hello Remus," greeted Alice. "Are you ready for the big day?"

"Uh yah," he replied, looking around the room nervously.

"The guests will start arriving in about half an hour," Alice explained. "Amy called to let me know she will be here with the bridesmaids in about fifteen minutes. She also reminded me that you aren't supposed to see her before the ceremony."

"Right," Remus responded taking a seat.

Alice poured him a drink and handed it over. "Just a bit to calm your nerves while you wait. I know for sure there is no way I can give you enough alcohol to make you even a bit tipsy before the big moment," she explained, seeing the nervous look on his face.

Remus nodded and took a sip. It was muggle whiskey, as all magic in the house had been hidden for the day so that Amy could invite all the muggle guests she wanted. (Although he was sure plenty of magic had been used to get the place ready). The whiskey was quite good, and Remus soon felt himself relax as Alice provided a stream of simple, soothing gossip. He might not have admitted it, but he was nervous. He was madly in love with Amy, but he kept waiting for it to end. After all, she was a muggle who worked in finance while he was a wizard who was couldn't get a decent job thanks to being a werewolf. But, ever since he told her about magic last summer, she had merely been excited, begging him to take her to a quidditch game and show her around Diagon Alley. So, last spring he had proposed. Which brought him to now, sitting in the Longbottom's house waiting for the wedding to begin.

The ceremony was fairly simple. An exchange of vows presided over by a priest, the presentation of the rings (expertly carried by an enthusiastic Harry), and one marvelous kiss. The following party, however, was a bit more extravagant. Alice had her house elves prepare a buffet fit for royalty, which included everything from mac and cheese (a favorite of the children) to Beef Wellington. Dancing was held in the ballroom, with music provided by local DJ. After Remus and Amy opened the dance floor with the ceremonial first dance, the children were quick to follow. Soon, Remus watched as Hermione, Neville, and Harry flew about the floor as only young children could as he danced slowly with his new wife.

Finally, around eight in the evening, the party drew to a close. Most of the children were sleeping, and the guests were sitting around enjoying champagne and wine. With one last good bye, Remus and Amy exited the house. Holding her tightly, he pulled out his wand and apparated.

On Amy's request, they had decided to honeymoon in France. Hearing this, Sirius had offered one of the Black cottages, located in the south of France. While Remus had been apprehensive of taking advantage of Sirius's wealth (he had always been self-conscious of money), Amy had delighted in the idea of spending two weeks in a magical house near a magical village. So, he had acquiesced. And, upon entering the simple, yet beautiful cottage, he was glad he had done so. Yes, Moony, bachelor no more, was going to enjoy the next two weeks.

**1 Sept 2004**

Nymphadora Tonks was nervous. Although if someone had dared suggest as much to her, she would have vehemently denied it and likely punched said person. But, truth was, she was nervous about heading to Hogwarts. While Cousin Siri had shared plenty of stories highlighting his adventures at Hogwarts, it would be the first time she had lived away from home. What if she didn't like her roommates? What if she didn't make any friends? What if she was no good at magic?

"Alright Nymphadora, say your goodbyes. We don't want to be late."

"Mum," moaned Dora, "Don't call me Nymphadora!"

"I will call you whatever I want, darling. After all, it will be three months until I see you again," Andromeda replied, wiping a tear from her eye.

"Alright squirt, give your cousin a hug," Sirius added, knowing Andy needed a moment. "And remember, I'll mail you a package of Zonkos supplies by the end of the week," he whispered in her ear as she hugged him.

Next, she gave Harry a giant hug, promising him lots of letters and stories (which Sirius or Aletha would read to him), and to come play with him as soon as she was home for Christmas. Lyra too wanted a hug, and presented Dora with a picture (supposedly of Dora on the train, but it looked like a giant scribble of red to her).

With one final goodbye, Andromeda grabbed her hand, and apparated to Kings Cross Station. Holding onto her mum's hand on one side and her dad's hand on the other (forget embarrassment, the station was crowded and she wouldn't see them until December), the trio made there way to platform 9 ¾.

"Did you remember all your books?"

"Yes mum."

"Your wand?"

"Yes mum."

"Potions supplies? Robes? Owl treats?" Andy asked, wiping another tear from her eyes.

"Yes mum," Dora replied exasperated.

"Your knickers?"

"DAD!"

"You better not have any Zonkos products with you," reminded Andy, tears gone and her stern face back.

"Not one," promised Dora truthfully. She and Sirius had agreed it was far too dangerous to pack them. Better for him to mail them. The only thing she had was a brand new Marauder's map (SECRET, DO NOT LET MUM FIND OUT ABOUT IT FOR ANY REASON) and a list of things Professor McGonagall secretly loved (to get out of detention of course).

"Alright, you better get on the train. I love you," Andy finished, planting one last kiss on her forehead.

With one last kiss from her dad, Dora drug her trunk onto the train, taking a seat in the first available compartment. She was officially on her way to Hogwarts.

**5 Sept 2004**

_Dear Sirius,_

_Thank you so much for the Zonkos supplies! And the map! Both have been awesome. I already have made a friend here. His name is Charlie Weasley and he is in Gryffindor (I'm in Hufflepuff, sorry). We meet the second night of school when I was out doing recon on the kitchens (again thanks, they are supper close to my common room), when I saw a name wandering around the map. It was Charlie. Since it was red (Remus was right, the colour coding is super useful), I knew he was a student. So I snuck through one of the hidden passageways. When I saw he was a first year like me, I introduced myself. He was so startled he dropped the dungbombs he was holding! We had to run so fast because the smell attracted McGonagall. But now we are friends, and plan on sneaking out tonight, so I guess the smell was worth it (I had to take two showers)._

_Oh, and something else that might make you mad. Promise not to yell? Or do anything rash? Remember, mum says you should always plan first and act second. It works well for pranking. Okay, so here it is. Snape is a professor. He teaches potions and is awful! Also, his hair is just as greasy as you said it was. Anyway, Bill, Charlie's older brother who is a third year says he is always as bad as he was today. Like I said, DON'T YELL! But really, see if you can get mum to help you get rid of him. Also, the defense position is apparently still cursed. I haven't had defense yet, but Charlie has and he says the professor is so old he might as well be dead. Like Binns!_

_Anyway, tell Harry and Lyra I promise to share all my fun stories when I get back!_

_Love you,_

_Dora_

**8 Sept 2004**

_Dear Dora,_

_I did not yell. Well maybe a little bit, but only at a wall and it was necessary. Snape as a potions teacher? You said he was bad? How so? Does he take off points unfairly? Yell? Insult? Hurt you guys physically in any way? Please talk to all your friends. And see if they have siblings they can talk to. You were right. I talked to your mum and we already are forming a plan. So be patient._

_As for the defense teacher, let me know how bad he is. If he is truly awful, Remus or I can tutor you in defense over the holidays (Remus always was the best teacher). I have somewhere we can practice without getting in trouble with the underage laws. And for Binns, I suggest talking to one of the Ravenclaw upper years. They are usually willing to sell copies of the history notes for a small fee (which is why I included a bit of money). Then just use the class as a study._

_Everything is going well here. When Harry heard you were in Hufflepuff, he decided you needed a present. So we bought you one. It is wrapped in the package. I hope you enjoy!_

_Lots of love,_

_Sirius, Aletha, and the kids_

**22 Sept 2004**

_Dear Sirius,_

_Sorry it took me so long to respond to your letter, but it's been really busy and mum threatened me with a howler if I didn't write at least twice a week. But, I did ask all my fellow Hufflepuffs to write down their experiences with Snape. As soon as I mentioned Lord Black (I promise I didn't tell them who you were) was looking into replacing Snape, they were more than happy to help. Apparently he has been teaching here for four years. All the upper years miss Slughorn. They say he was a Slytherin too, but was at least fair and actually taught. Did you know him? Charlie has also agreed to do the same for Gryffindor and my new friend Bethany said she would try to do the same for Ravenclaw. So that's what the giant stack of spare parchments is. I'll send more as I get them._

_The DADA (apparently that's how all the cool kids refer to defense) professor is worthless. All he does is talk! I complained, but Sprout said he was the only one who applied for the job this year! Please teach me over break? I want to be an Auror when I grow up! And thanks for the advice in history. Now Charlie and I just spend class planning pranks. On that note, can you send more dungbombs? Charlie keeps dropping them! And he calls me clumsy._

_Oh, and we had our first flying lesson! I impressed Madam Hooch because I could already fly so well. She said I should try out for quidditch next year provided I am less of a disaster with balls in the air than I am on land. Charlie is REALLY good on a broom. He says he is going to be seeker next year. The current Gryffindor seeker is only a fifth year, so we will have to see. His brother is currently a reserve chaser._

_Anyways, gotta run! It's time for charms._

_Love,_

_Dora_


	32. Hogwarts Letters: Part 2

**28 Sept 2004**

_Dearest Dora,_

_Included with this letter is a package of dungbombs and fireworks, so DO NOT OPEN THEM IN THE GREAT HALL! It wouldn't do for the professors to know you have an outside supplier. I am glad you are up to no good, although please don't get any more detentions. Your mum came over to yell at me for a solid half hour after the last one. Something about being a bad influence… I'm not quite sure as I tuned her out after a minute or two._

_As for the Snape situation, the written reports are excellent. Especially the ones from the older ones highlighting the differences between Snape and Slughorn. I can't wait for the Ravenclaws. As for the whole Lord Black thing, don't worry about it. I am sure you will hear something about that soon enough._

_As for DADA, of course I will tutor you. Or maybe have Remus tutor you and simply teach you pranking spells. While I admire you desire to be an Auror, remember it is a dangerous job. I am sure Frank or even Mad-Eye would be happy to show you around the offices one day, as long as you promised not to tell your mum. She is a tad bit over protective._

_Anyways, love from all us Blacks,_

_Sirius_

**4 Oct 2004**

_Sirius,_

_I'm running late, again, so this will be quick. YES I WANT TO TAKE A TOUR! And the giant pile of parchment is reports from the Ravenclaws and Gryffindors. I don't think I can get any from the Slytherins._

_Dora_

**16 Oct 2004**

_Dear Sirius, AKA LORD BLACK,_

_I might be hearing something about the whole Lord Black thing? I might? A little warning would have been nice! After all, EVERYONE knows I am related to you. I nearly chocked on my breakfast reading the prophet this morning, and then spent the next hour being BOMBARDED with questions about you. BOMBARDED! DO YOU HEAR ME? BOMBARDED! Even Professor McGonagall came up to me. She handed me a note to send on to you. It's the light green envelope. Anyways, Charlie and I spent history planning a prank to make up for such a busy morning. Let's just say everyone who goes to send letters tomorrow will find themselves quite feathery._

_So LORD BLACK, when are you going to do something about the Snape situation? Today he made Bethany cry. I think hearing about you made him in a bad mood. Or a worse one I guess. I've never seen him in a good mood. But anyway, he made her cry by vanishing her entire potion. He said it was no good, but we were making a bruise salve. I've seen mum's bruise salves LOADS of times (and Madam Pomphrey's too) and Bethany's wasn't that bad. It wasn't perfect, but certainly better than most people's. I told her so, and that seemed to cheer her up a little bit._

_Anyways, tell Harry thanks for the picture. I especially like that I am wearing the shirt he picked out for me. (Did I thank you for that? Charlie says I look like a fluorescent bumblebee, but I think it's cool. I even made my hair bright yellow to match when I wore it. He said it hurt his eyes to look at me)._

_Love you,_

_Dora_

**21 Oct 2004**

_Dear Dora,_

_Consider this a warning. Next time you go to potions, you might find someone else there. Unfortunately, Snape will still be there, but hopefully this is a step towards getting rid of him. If Dumbledorks does not make an announcement about that, then McGonagall will. The green package is for her. PLEASE DELIVER IT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Also, if Dumbledorks gives you any problems, make sure to let McGonagall or your head of house know as soon as possible. And then write you mum and me._

_On a lighter note, I am meeting with Charlie's mum in a few days. Hopefully the rest of his siblings are as much fun as he is. Ask him about his brother Ron, as Ron is close to Harry's age. I would love Harry to meet a few more wizarding friends. (Aletha and I are calling this Operation Show the World Harry is a Normal 4 Year Old). I used to know Mrs. Weasley fairly well, and she even helped out with Harry a few times. I do promise not to tell her anything about you and Charlie's mischief._

_Love you lots,_

_Sirius and Family_

**31 Oct 2004**

_Dear Sirius,_

_I hope you are okay. I know this is your least favorite night of the year. I think it is mine too. I spoke to McGonagall the other day to ask her for a favor. She helped me copy some photos for you and Remus she didn't think you had. They are in the light green envelope. Give Harry a giant hug for me and tell him I love him soooooooo much. For him I included some photos of our latest pranks. I think he will like them._

_Love you lots and lots,_

_Dora_

**1 Nov 2004**

_Dear Dora,_

_Thank you so much for the photos. Sirius and Remus love them. I think their favorite is the one of Harry chasing Minerva's tail as James and Lily laugh in the background. My favorite is the one of a deer and giant dog standing at the edge of the forest. It is proof that Minerva did indeed, always know what her cubs were up to. As for the photos you sent Harry, he loves them, as does Lyra. May I remind you not to corrupt my children? Sirius and Remus do a fine enough job on their own. Anyways, I suspect Sirius will write to you as well._

_Love you lot,_

_Aletha and family_

**5 Nov 2004**

_Dear Dora,_

_This is a secret. I repeat. THIS IS A SECRET NOT TO BE SHARED WITH ANYONE! (Including your boyfriend Charlie). If all goes according to plan (fingers crossed!) Snape will not be returning to Hogwarts come January. And if he does, it will only be under strict guidelines as supervision. Your mum and I (with the help of many other people) are working on changing many things at Hogwarts, so I might have you do some more information gathering. I'll let you know. END OF SECRETS._

_I know Aletha sent you a letter a few days ago, but let me say this again, thank you for the photos. I really appreciate it. There will be no more green letters for McGonagall in you mail however, as Aletha reminded me that, "I am no longer a student and can write Minerva if I want. There is no need to use an eleven-year-old to hide from the woman." So now I am just going to send her letters._

_We are taking the kids to the Weasley's this weekend; so let Charlie know he should be receiving plenty of howlers regarding your pranks. (Just kidding. Marauders' honor- I would never nark on a fellow prankster). I am preparing another owl order form Zonkos; so if you need something before the holidays, let me know soon._

_Love,_

_Sirius_

**8 Nov 2004**

_Dear Sirius, AKA WORST COUSIN EVER,_

_CHARLIE IS NOT MY BOYFRIEND. ABSOLUTELY, NO WAY, DEFINITELY NOT MY BOYFRIEND! As for Zonkos products, I took the liberty of filling out a mail order form and sent it to you with this letter. Do you think you could convince mum to up my allowance? Then I could buy my own stuff._

_I am looking forward to next semester (wink wink). If you really are changing things, maybe you ought to get rid of the curse on the DADA job. Just saying._

_Love you,_

_Dora_

**20 Nov 2004**

_Dear Dora,_

_Sorry it has been so long since I last wrote. Being a Lord is hard work. Do you think I can give the job away? Anyways, all is well on the home front. Harry has decided he wants to learn how to read since he saw Hermione reading. I think he forgets she is almost a year older. The twins have learned to walk and are miniature menaces! I look away for even a minute and they manage to escape. Let's just say I have become quite good at wandless, wordless sticking charms. And, lastly, Lyra has finally managed to fly without toppling off. Do you think you mum would be up for another child? Then we could have an entire Black quidditch team! (and maybe play the Weasleys? They have seven kids)._

_Okay kiddo, here is your next assignment. Could you talk to as many muggleborn students as possible, older ones as well if possible, and ask them about what classes they have at muggle schools they think Hogwarts could benefit from? Especially the Ravenclaws. They appreciate the boring ones._

_Thanks! And Love you,_

_Sirius_

**1 Dec 2004**

_Dear Sirius,_

_That's quite a task! I have already started collecting answers. Most of the muggleborns, especially the Ravenclaws have been happy to help. The Gryffindors mostly want sports, arts, and music classes. But I have quite a list going. I'll attach what I have so far. I am very busy studying for finals though. Charlie and I haven't pulled a single prank this week!_

_As for another baby, I think mum would slap you silly for suggesting as much. She thought I was more than enough. Maybe ask aunt Cissy? Anyway, I don't think I will be able to write again before holidays, so see you then! Less than three weeks!_

_Love from an overworked Dora_

**8 Dec 2004**

_Dear Dora,_

_I know what your Christmas gift is! I know what your Christmas gift is! And you are going to LOVE it. Harry has been asking every single day since December when you will come home and play with him. I am running out of reasons why you cannot come home now, so please hurry._

_As for the notes, they are awesome as usual. I especially enjoyed Charlie's request for a class on dragons. (Although I think it might be difficult to fit that into the curriculum. Also, its not exactly a course a muggleborn would recommend….)_

_I'll let you get back to your studying now. Love you,_

_Sirius_

**14 Dec 2004**

_Dear Sirius,_

_FIVE MORE DAYS TILL I'M HOME! Also, it's really mean to tease someone about their Christmas present. And Charlie loves dragons. He sent the note when he found out what I was doing despite it DEFINITELY not being a class found in muggle school._

_Oh, also the rest of the notes are included with this letter._

_FIVE MORE DAYS!_

_Dora_

**19 Dec 2004**

As the Hogwarts express pulled into the station, Dora craned her neck looking out the window for her parents. Just as the train rolled to a stop, she spotted them at the edge of the platform. Grabbing her trunk, she eagerly made her way off the train into her mum's waiting arms.

"It's so good to see you again. You've grown so much!" Andy greeted.

"I missed you mum."

"I missed you two."

"Did you have a fun term?" Ted asked, shrinking the trunk and slipping it into his pocket.

"The best! And I've learned so much magic. Professor McGonagall says I'm getting really good at transfiguration."

"That's wonderful. Should we home?"

"Oh man, I get to sleep in my own room tonight! I mean, my roommates are really nice, but Andrea snores! She denies it, but the rest of us agree."

**22 Dec 2004**

Today was the day Remus promised to begin teaching her spells. Which was why Dora was sitting on the staircase staring at the front door of number 12 Grimauld Place. Sirius had apparated her over in the morning and spent nearly an hour practicing pranking spells with her. But, he was meeting someone now, so she was stuck waiting for Remus to show. Bored, she began playing with her metamorphagus skills. She was pretty good now, and could change her entire face and hair colour. Now the problem was holding that look for any length of time. So, screwing up her face in concentration she morphed herself to look exactly like her mum's. As she sat on the staircase concentrating on keeping her face the same, she overheard a few words from the office.

Letting her face go, she put all her effort into eavesdropping. After all, if Sirius really didn't want her to listen in, he would have put up a silencing charm.

"Please… tea…..Gal…" she heard Sirius say.

"….. thank you…. Grades…" the other person replied.

She heard Sirius's barking laughter followed by a few indiscernible words. Concentrating harder, she leaned towards the door.

"Behind Albus's back?" she heard the second person say. It sounded like Professor McGonagall, but why would she be meeting Sirius in his so called lord room?

"….trust….changes…." Clearly Sirius was sitting farther from the door.

"….Not suited to teaching!" She heard the possibly Professor McGonagall nearly shout just as the front door opened. Quickly trying her best to look innocent, Dora saw it was Remus.

"Trying to listen in?" Remus asked.

"No," Dora tried to deny.

Remus merely laughed in response. "Take it from a former prankster," he said, "your innocent face needs a lot of work. But don't worry; I think it is already better than Sirius's. He could never fool anyone. Come on now, let's learn some defense, shall we?"

Begrudgingly, Dora rose from the steps. It wasn't as if she could really hear what was going on anyways.


	33. Progress with the Wizengamont

**22 Dec 2004**

He was embarrassed to admit it, but Sirius was nervous about his meeting with Minerva. After all, she had been his teacher for years, putting up with pranks, disobedience, and juvenile pettiness. And now, here he was, addressing her as Lord Black. So yah, he was maybe just a little bit nervous. In attempt to calm his nervous, he rearranged the tea service. Chamomile, her favorite, tuna sandwiches (animagus tastes did affect normal tastes), and chocolate biscuits (his favorite) were artfully arranged on a silver platter. Straightening his robes, he looked up at the clock. 11:59. One minute. McGonagall was always punctual.

As the clock struck noon, Minerva McGonagall stepped out of the fireplace.

"Oh, Sirius," McGonagall greeted, "It is so nice to see you."

"You too, Minerva, you too. I am glad you could take time out of your holidays to meet with me."

"Nonsense young man, I drew the short straw and am staying at Hogwarts this year. Having tea with the bane of my existence for seven years is a delightful break."

Sirius laughed, "Bane of your existence? I think you are exaggerating."

"Oh maybe, but you were quite a handful."

"Point conceded. Please, sit down. Would you like some tea Madam McGonagall?" Sirius asked, adopting a posh accent.

"That would be lovely, thank you. The two of us talking without me complaining about your behavior or grades. Extraordinary."

Sirius barked in laughter again. "Now Minerva, I do say it has been quite some time since you yelled at me about grades. After all, I am a grown man with my own children now."

"So you are. Thank you so much for the pictures. It warms my heart to see Harry so happy. And your three, they are absolutely beautiful."

"They are the love of my life."

Sipping her tea, Minerva relaxed into her chair. "Now, Sirius, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about. As Lord Black."

Sitting up straighter, Sirius placed his tea cup back down on the table. "I, in conjunction with several other parents and politicians have been working on a bill to allow for reforms in Hogwarts. I would like to ask you for your support in these actions."

"Behind Albus's back?"

"Not necessarily. I am sure you are aware of our… strained relationship. I do not trust him. As a result I would prefer to work with you in bringing about these changes at Hogwarts. And, as you are deputy headmistress, it is well within your job description to do so."

"Changes, you say? I assume then you are behind the fiasco with Severus?"

"I am indeed behind that fiasco, as you call it. And, I assure, I am not doing this because of some childhood rivalry. I am well aware Snape is an excellent potions master. But he is a marked Death Eater." He held up his hand as Minerva moved to protest. "Yes, yes. He was given freedom in a proper, public trial. I am not arguing against that. What I am saying is that even If he realized he was wrong, he did join the Death Eaters in the beginning. This may not be enough to send him to prison, but it should be enough to stop him from teaching our children."

Minerva sighed, "I suppose you are right. The man is not suited to teaching. What other changes might I expect?"

Sirius summoned a folder from across the room and handed it to Minerva. "Here is a highlight of changes we propose. You can look through it on your own time, but I will summarize.

First, we propose new teachers for potions and history. Snape will likely receive notice of his termination from the board of governors before the new term. A suitable replacement has been found. Binns might take a bit longer. Second, we propose scrapping DADA and replacing it with a similar class under a new name, in a new classroom in order to defeat the curse.

Third, we propose the hiring of additional teachers to alleviate strain on the faculty. These teachers would instruct the younger years, possible years one through three. This will allow younger teachers to gain experience and free up time for other teachers to run more clubs. The lack of clubs is something many students have complained about.

Fourth, we would like to introduce several new subjects. This would be done to compliment a bill we are introducing to the Wizengamont next month. You see we are working to increase muggleborn rights and prospects. These new classes would be muggle classes such as writing, literature, and muggle history and politics. The first class would benefit everyone, as the students would learn how to write better. The second two would allow both muggleborns and other wizards to interact with the muggle world better. Eventually, we would push for all Hogwarts students to receive their GCSEs."

Minerva thought through Sirius's changes for a moment, and then cleared her throat. "I cannot say I disagree with any of you ideas. It would certainly be nice to have more free time. And to have better written essays! But, I am curious. Hiring that many additional teachers would be costly. Where would the money come from?"

"Two places. First, we hire someone to go through Hogwarts's financials and trim the waste. Second, we will request additional funding from the ministry. This is an issue where we have support from pretty much all parties. Purebloods, muggleborns, light families, and dark families. With unanimous call for funding and improvement, the ministry would be daft to deny it."

"Very well. I can tentatively approve of these plans. When will you know if you have the funding and approval?"

"Hopefully by April. That way we can enact the easier changes by next school year."

"Well, now that we have attended to business, tell me more about what you have been up to."

**4 Jan 2005**

Sirius was seriously considering bashing his brains in. But really, death by brain bashing had to be more pleasant than what he was currently enduring. Seated around the table in Grimauld Place were nearly a dozen different witches and wizards. Well, Lords and Ladies he supposed. To his right was Frank, and on his left Amelia. Also at the table were Lords Abbott, Ogden, Greengrass, Smith, Diggory, and MacMillan. Ladies Black (Narcissa, as she was in charge of the Malfoy seat) and Brown rounded out the group.

Sirius's current headache was a result of almost nonstop bickering between Lady Brown and Lord Ogden. Something to do with who should argue point seven of the bill in front of the Wizengamont. In all honesty, he had stopped paying attention several minutes ago.

'Why don't we stop for a tea break?" interrupted Frank, seeing that most of the group had lost focus. "I believe a nice cup of tea and some biscuits would help us think better."

"I quite agree," concurred Narcissa. "Sirius? Is there food prepared? Or shall we fend for ourselves?"

"There is food prepared. Dobby?" he called, having borrowed the Malfoy elf for the evening. Kreature was just not fit to serve food.

"Yes master Blacksies?"

"Please bring in tea." With a pop Dobby disappeared and reappeared with several trays of tea, scones, and sandwiches. The group, having abandoned work for the moment, turned to lighter conversation.

"I saw you with Hannah in Diagon Alley last week" began Narcissa, addressing Lord Abbott. "How is she?"

"She is doing fantastic. I cannot believe she is already five. Mary let me know last week that she wants another child!"

"I find two to hardly be more effort than one," responded Lord Greengrass. "Although I must admit, I too am surprised Daphne is already five. How time flies!"

"Indeed. Why most of our children will be in the same year at Hogwarts, won't they?" Added in Lady Brown.

"Cedric is the oldest, at eight I believe," concurred Lord Diggory. "And your grandchildren, Lord Ogden?"

"One and Three now! And quite marvelous they are. Much less work as grandchildren!"

"Perhaps we should arrange for the children to meet more often. I know Alice would love to have everyone over. Maybe after the next Wizengamont session?"

The group readily agreed, and sandwiches and tea finished, turned back to politics. After what felt like forever to Sirius (but was really only about an hour), they were almost done.

"Alright," Amelia began, "Let's review what we have determined. Sirius?"

"Right, I, as primary author of the bill will introduce it to the floor and summarize the bill."

"I will show my support by highlighting the advantages the bill affords to muggleborns," Lord Abbott added.

"All of us besides Lord Ogden, Lord Diggory, and Lady Black will then add our support as called upon. This, in combination with our private efforts should secure the progressive votes," Lord MacMillan continued.

"The next bit is where I step in," Lord Diggory added. "I will highlight the more economical sides of the bill with the help of Lord Ogden. We have already spoken to many of the neutral members, as has Lord Greengrass. With luck, at least half of them will swing our way."

"And I have the hardest job," smiled Narcissa. Adopting the perfect pureblood attitude, Narcissa continued. "My job is to convince the pureblood faction that this bill is in their best interests, as it gives us the greatest opportunity to convince the muggleborn from youth that our way is best. I shall also point out that the bill, while introduced by the white sheep of the Black family, was still introduced by a Black."

Sirius laughed heartily. "Well said Cissy, well said."

Narcissa simply glared in response to her cousin's use of her nickname. Not that she would say it, especially in the company of some many Lords, but it was nice to hear. As everyone left, Narcissa simply sat back, thinking about what she was doing. Yes, it was much better to be on the side of good.

**15 Jan 2005**

"WE DID IT!" Sirius shouted happily as he exited the floo. "We got the Muggleborn Contact bill passed!"

"Congratulations," responded Aletha. "I suppose you wish to celebrate?"

"Of course! It's time for a party! We should see if the Grangers are home, this affects them too."

"I'll go check. And who else should I expect?"

"Probably the Longbottoms, Tonks, and Lupins. I still can't believe it's the Lupins now."

"Okay. I'll inform the Grangers. Will you order pizza?"

"Of course!"

About half and hour later, everyone had arrived and were happily celebrating their very first bill. Sirius had led the older children: Harry, Neville, and Hermione outside fly, while the rest of the adults sat inside with Lyra, Neville's younger brother Lucas, and the twins.

"So what does this new bill mean for us?" asked Emma.

"Well, actually not that much for you personally, as you are already aware of the wizarding world. But in general, muggleborn children and their parents will now be contacted the first time ministry sensors detect the child's magic. You will then be gradually introduced to the world so by the time your child goes to school, they are well prepared," Frank explained.

"And who introduces the family to magic? It was hard enough to believe coming from a friend."

"The bill originally called for a separate department for muggleborn outreach to be created. However, we couldn't receive the support for the funding."

"You are leaving things out, Frank," chided Andromeda. "The bill was altered to retask certain portions of the Muggle Liaison Office and Misuse of Magic Office. Basically, the introduction will be modeled after the one Professor McGonagall currently gives the muggleborns."

"Basically she shows up, explains the wizarding world is real, demonstrates some magic, and brings you to Diagon Alley," Aletha explained.

"Will someone come to us?" Dan asked.

"I'm actually not sure. If Hermione, or in all honest Harry, had an incident of accidental magic at school, that would likely set off the Ministry sensors," Frank said. "Although we could probably manual add Hermione to the registry so nobody questioned why you already knew about magic."

"Would that be difficult?" Emma asked.

"Probably not. Between Sirius's status as Lord Black and Amelia's position as head of the DMLE, it shouldn't be hard to slip a name in."

"But more importantly," Dan said, "This means we can go to Diagon Alley!"

The group laughed, knowing quite well Dan's fascination with all things magical. "Amy and I were planning a trip next month," Remus said to Dan, "We would love to bring you along."

"I think Remus simply enjoys watching us muggles boggle at all the magic so casually displayed," Amy explained, causing her husband to blush.

"I'm in! Emma? Would you like to come as well?"

"I suppose I must, if only to stop you from buying everything you see."


	34. Summertime Fun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is all fluff, but I hope you enjoy none the less. It certainly was fun to write.

23 May 2005

"Happy birthday dear Lyra, Happy birthday to you!"

"I blow out?"

"Yes sweetie," Sirius replied, "You get to blow out the candles."

"Otay!" Lyra agreed, leaning forward and blowing with all her lung capacity. It took two tries, but she managed to put out the candles. As the newly turned three-year-old sat back in her seat, clapping her hands happily, Sirius cut and served the cake.

He couldn't believe how big his children were getting. Lyra was now three, and Harry would be five in the summer. He was even starting Kindergarten next year! And the twins, at almost 18 months were busy chasing after their brother and sister, eager to prove they could do everything the "big kids" could.

"Pweseants?" Lyra asked, her cake mostly finished (with an admirable amount of frosting on her face).

"Sure thing, lets get this frosting off first." With a magical cleaning charm he cleaned off his daughter and lifted her out of the booster seat onto the floor. "Hold on!" he shouted after her, "Wait for mummy and I!" As his daughter raced into the living room, Harry close behind, Sirius lifted Oberon out of his high chair.

"Go on into the living room, Siri," Aletha said, placing the other twin on his lap. "I'll clean up real fast. I don't think Lyra will wait much longer."

"She is an impatient one, isn't she?"

"Well considering she is three and you are hardly better…"

"I resent that!" Sirius shouted, as he left the dining room. "I have plenty of patience," he grumbled as Aletha merely laughed.

By the time Lyra had chosen a present and managed to untie the ribbon, Aletha had joined the group. Pulling out her camera, Aletha began snapping photos of Lyra as she struggled against the paper. Eventually, Lyra won, and Polaris happily snatched up the paper.

"Blocks! Look Hawwy! I got blocks!"

"Cool! Now we can build two forts!"

"But I wanna caswe"

Harry humped then agreed, "Fine, but forts are better."

The next present Lyra opened was a Hollyhead Harpies jersey. They were Aletha's favorite team, and after seeing a poster of them, Lyra had quickly joined the club, as they were all girls. Smiling in delight, Lyra ran over to Aletha.

"Put on now?"

"Sure, hands in the air!"

As soon as the jersey cleared her head, Lyra ran across the room and grabbed Harry's broom.

"Hey! That's mine!"

"But I a qwi'itch player!"

"Why don't you open the big present," Sirius intervened. "It's from me, Uncle Remus, and Frank."

"Otay," she responded, putting Harry's broom down (much to the relief of Harry). The moment she began unwrapping the present, Aletha sighed and looked over at her husband.

"Weren't we getting a new b-r-o-o-m for Harry?"

"What's a b-r-o-o-m?" asked Harry.

"Nothing, pup. And yah, but we will need two toddler one's when the twins learn."

Aletha made a face, but simply went back to taking photos of her daughter, who was now holding her own toddler broom, jumping up and down in excitement.

"We fly now?"

"Sure," Sirius responded. "Let me get my broom and we can head outside."

"Me too?" Harry asked.

"Of course."

As the three fliers headed outside, Aletha began gathering up the paper. There were a few more, smaller presents from the Grangers, Tonks, and Narcissa, but she could hardly blame the three-year-old for her short attention span. After all, her husband's really was only a tiny bit longer.

17 June 2005

Sirius was pretty sure that this was the worst idea ever. As in the actual worst idea in the whole wide world. And it was all Aletha's fault. Last week Aletha had informed him of her plan to have a girl's weekend with Emma, Alice, Narcissa, and Andromeda. Sirius had agreed, as he didn't want to upset her, and had provided her with a portkey to the Black cottage in the south of France. Since Dora hadn't returned from Hogwarts yet, Ted agreed to team up with Sirius and watch his four, plus Draco.

Only a few hours into the weekend, Frank had apparated over with his two, Neville and Lucas. "I just don't know how you do it," he complained. "As soon as these two realized it was just me for the entire weekend, they rebelled! And you have twice as many!"

So, the three wizards decided if their wives were going to have a relaxing girls weekend, they would have a man weekend, full of adventure, junk food, and beer. Well, and a bunch of children, all under the age of five. So, maybe not quite a man weekend. Anyways, they decided if they were going to do this right, they might as well invite Dan and Hermione over. Since at this point there were four adults and eight children (Frank nearly had a heart attack when he counted them all) they would spend the weekend at the overly large Longbottom Manor.

"Are you sure about this?" asked Sirius, as he packed a bag for the kids.

"Yah," replied Frank. "I mean, the children love hanging out with one another and I can't handle Neville and Lucas alone, I mean, I just don't have the experience! They walk all over me. Besides, my bathroom already has bars and a shower chair, you'll be fine."

"Right, forgot about the whole leg thing."

"Eh, I always liked my left leg better. Although the whole sex thing took a little while to get used to."

"Trust me, I know. And the first time Aletha proposed doing it in the chair…"

"Too much man, too much. Come on, grab your stuff and let's go. And bring your broom. I built a mini pitch in the back this spring."

"Awesome, right. Give me ten minutes, okay?"

By the end of the first day, Sirius decided that maybe, just maybe this hadn't been the worst idea. The older kids had enjoyed the obstacle course Frank had set up the back yard, while the twins and Lucas had played in the magical sprinkler Alice had bought because it was "too adorable not to." After the kids had worn themselves out, they had gathered for a lovely dinner on the back porch, where Dan learned the brilliance of bug repelling charms. As the kids dropped off, the Longbottom house elf brought them inside, until it was just the adults left.

The following hours had been filed with beer, stories of their children's antics, tales from Hogwarts and Dan's school years, and a couple rounds of cards. The last part was ended shortly after Ted realized Sirius was winning by so much because even drunk he could employ occlumency to help him bluff. (Frank accused him of legillimency, but Sirius remained adamant that he didn't know it).

By the time the four of them went to bed, they were in sore need of sobering potions (Dan, luckily the least drunk, complained how it wasn't fair he couldn't use a sobering potion) and exhausted.

The following morning was, unfortunately, extraordinarily hot by anyone's definition. After casting easily a dozen cooling charms and still finding no relief, Dan brought up the idea of taking the kids to a pool.

"There is a really nice one at the golf club I'm part off. Even though it is really hot outside, it shouldn't be too crowded."

"I'm down," moaned Ted, "It is simply too hot out to do anything but sit in some nice cool water."

"Neville has had basic swim lessons, how about Harry and Draco?"

"Yah, Narcissa wanted Draco to learn and invited Harry along for some cousin bonding time or something," Sirius responded.

"Hermione loves to swim. So you guys down?"

"I haven't exactly swam since, you know…" Sirius admitted.

"It's fine, I'm not as good as I used to be either, we can take the little one's and hang in the kiddie pool," Frank responded.

"Alright then. How should we get there?"

"Floo to Sirius's, then drive over? Nine is a lot of people to side-along apparate. It would take several trips," Ted said. "I can only bring one person, though I've never tried two kids."

"Flooing and driving sounds easiest. If Dan drives his car, I can take the SUV and we should all fit."

Logistics covered, they got all the kids dressed in swimsuits, conjured plenty of water wings, and packed some snacks while Ted popped home to change. (Sirius and Dan would change when they grabbed the cars.)

Soon enough, the group arrived at the swimming pool. It was a rather nice place, with three pools. There was a large, deep one where older children and adults were swimming, a large variable depth pool where most of the families were, and the smaller kiddie pool. Splitting into two groups, Dan and Ted took Harry, Hermione, Neville, and Draco to the family pool, while Frank and Sirius took Polaris, Oberon, Lyra, and Lucas to the kiddie pool.

"We make quite a pair," Sirius remarked as Frank removed his prosthetic and grabbed his crutches. "The one-legged Auror and paraplegic lawmaker with four toddlers."

"Imagine what the people watching us must think," Frank responded pointing with his eyes at a woman sitting across from them who was staring rudely.

Sirius rolled his eyes dramatically, "That us cripples can't handle four kids?"

"Something like that," Frank replied slightly bitterly. In all honesty, he wasn't used to people starring. The people he worked with who knew about his leg wouldn't dare, as they had all learned that lesson from Moody. And, unlike Sirius, when he was out and about, for the most part, people couldn't tell.

"But, my friend, they don't know about sticking charms and tether charms. Both of which I am a wandless, wordless master off. When they see us handle these four with nary a sweat…"

Frank laughed, as both men were already hot and sweaty simply due to the scorching heat.

"Right, wrong turn of phrase. With effortless grace, they shall be jealous beyond belief." Seeing Frank was still slightly annoyed by the staring people, he added in a low voice "and we can always shot a minor hex at them. If you don't tell, I won't."

With one final laugh, Frank hopped into the pool, and helped Lyra and Lucas jump in. "Hand over the twins?"

"Yup. Here is one," he began, "and two." Now childless, Sirius laid a towel down on the edge of the pool, and then lowered himself first to the edge, and then into the pool itself. "Ah, refreshing," he purred, leaning back against the wall, closing his eyes slightly. Just as he was relaxing in the cool water, he felt a splash of water hit him in the face. "Hey!"

Oberon giggled, pounding his small hands against the surface of the water. Seeing what his brother was doing, Polaris squirmed until Frank let him go and joined in.

"You! Twin terrors! This means war!" Sirius declared, splashing back at the two. Soon, Lyra declared for his side, while Frank convinced Lucas to help him and the twins.

By the time Ted and Dan returned with the other four, both Sirius and Frank were thoroughly soaked. Dan and Ted herded all eight children to their table for snacks, leaving Frank and Sirius to get out of the pool.

"She is still staring," Sirius whispered, "should we hex her?"

Frank paused for a moment, "I really shouldn't do this," he began, "but maybe a few stinging hexes."

Sirius grinned manically. "On three?" Frank nodded. "One, two, three," he whispered, and then the two each sent a wandless hex at her, laughing as she jumped in surprise, looking around for the culprit. "Alright, lunch time," Sirius said, pulling himself onto the towel. After drying off his legs (and maybe his suit with a quick drying charm) Sirius transferred himself into his chair. "Come on lazy bones," he called to Frank as he headed towards the table, "I won't save you any food."

When the girl's portkeyed back that night, they arrived in the Black's house to find it empty.

"Where do you think Sirius is?" Aletha asked, looking around.

Andromeda and Narcissa popped off, only to return a moment later. "Ted and Draco aren't home either. Alice?" Andromeda asked.

"Right, I'll ask Frank." A moment later, she returned, giggling slightly. "I found them. Everyone, let's floo to my house."

As they exited the floo, and followed Alice into the living room, they found the reason for her laughter. Spread out across the couches and floor were Ted, Dan, Frank, and Sirius. The children were all lying on top of them, with the exception of Hermione, who was sitting in a chair, calmly reading a book.

"Hello," she greeted. "They feel asleep after dinner. I think they were tired from all the things we did."

"And what exactly did you do this weekend?" Emma asked her daughter.

Hermione smiled brightly. "We flew, went swimming, made pizza, played football, and did arts and crafts," she explained. "And then they all fell asleep watching a movie."

"It sounds like you had a lovely weekend, honey," Emma replied as Aletha took out her camera and snapped a photo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I felt like I had to have Frank and Sirius respond to the staring woman. It is sort of a given that if you don't fit the mold of normal, at least someone is going to stare at you rudely, especially at a place like a pool. And since Frank usually is wearing robes, he, unlike Sirius, isn't used to people staring at his leg. I also imagine Sirius being used to it, but also feeling slightly self conscious that day because he hasn't worn a swimsuit since his injury and his legs would likely be thin and atrophied at this point.


	35. Kindergarten

**2 Sept 2005**

"Do you have your backpack?"

"Yup!"

"Lunch?"

"Yup!"

"Pencils? Markers? Crayons? Notebook?"

"I got everything. Can we go?"

"Okay pup, we can go as soon as mummy takes some photos."

"Ughh."

"Don't moan. Today is an important day. Mummy and I want to remember it forever."

"We gonna be late," Harry moaned, putting on his best pouty face.

Sirius brought Harry in for a hug, messing his hair up even more. "We aren't going to be late. School starts at eight thirty and it is only seven forty five. We have plenty of time."

"Fine," Harry replied, sinking to the floor, backpack and shoes already on.

"Okay Harry," Aletha greeted, entering the room, camera in hand. "Ready for photos?"

"Yup!"

About five minutes (and at least a dozen photos later), Aletha declared the photo session over. "Do you want me to drop the twins off at daycare?"

"That would be great. Do you have time?"

"Yes, I don't have to be there until eight thirty this morning. Are they ready?"

"They've eaten and are dressed. They are playing with Lyra in their room."

"Alone?"

"Monitoring charm."

Aletha smiled, "right, wizard. Okay, I'll grab them and Lyra," she finished, kissing Sirius.

"Right kiddo, go to the car. We have to drop Lyra off at preschool on the way, but then off to kindergarten."

"Okay," Harry replied eagerly, running out the door.

By the time they arrived at Harry's school, Sirius was afraid Harry was going to explode in excitement. He had spent the entire car ride asking questions such as "What will my teacher be like? Will I learn to read today? Will it be fun? Did you go to kindergarten?" (Nice, probably not, yes, and no). As soon as Sirius had parked the car, Harry unbuckled and hopped out, jumping up and down in excitement.

"Hold on pup, wait for me," Sirius called out as Harry started to bounce away from the car towards the playground. Sighing as Harry barely slowed down, Sirius grabbed his chair and transferred as quickly as possible, and then chased Harry onto the playground.

A middle-aged woman in a bright red shirt was talking to an excited Harry as he entered the playground.

"This one yours?" she asked as he entered the gate.

"Yup. The ball of energy is mine. I'm Sirius Black and this is my son Harry."

"Nice to meet you Mr. Black. My name is Mrs. Parker and I am the Principal here. So, Harry, what year are you?"

"It's my first day of school!" Harry announced proudly. Turning to Sirius, he asked as quiet as an over excited five-year-old can, "She called you Mr. Black. How come she doesn't call you Siwius? You said that makes you feewl old."

Mrs. Parker laughed, "I call your dad Mr. Black as a sign of respect. But if he wants me to, I could call him Sirius."

"Oh. Wespect is good. That's what mummy says."

"Sorry," Sirius apologized, "he gets extra talkative when he is excited."

"No problem, now then, let's see what class you are in. Harry Black… ah there you are. You are with Miss Brennan. She is over there with the blue sign with a K on it."

"Thank you so much," Sirius said.

"Thanks!" Harry added.

"Your welcome."

Miss Brennan turned out to be a relatively young woman with long blonde hair. By the time Harry and Sirius arrived, there were already about five children lined up next to her.

"Hello, who do we have here?" she asked, kneeling down to shake Harry's hand.

"Harry Black," Harry greeted, as he turned to Sirius for confirmation. He knew his first Daddy's last name was Potter, so he had two last names now, Potter and Black. But Sirius had explained that when they were in the muggle world, he should use Black.

"It's nice to meet you Harry. Is this your dad?"

"Yup. His name is Siwius."

"Sirius Black, nice to meet you. Let me know if this little guy misbehaves."

"I'm not little!"

"Okay, if this big boy misbehaves," Sirius amended, as Harry smiled proudly.

"I sure will. Now, let's see," she began, flipping through some nametags. "Here we are. Harry. This is your nametag. We like to have everyone wear them until you learn your way around," she explained. "The school is a big place, and this way if you get lost, someone knows where you belong," she explained, pointing out the K-Blue underneath his name.

"Okay," harry replied solemnly. "I'll wear it."

"Awesome. I'll leave you two to say goodbye now. We should be heading inside in a few minutes," Miss Brennan finished as she stood up, leaving the pair to talk to another family.

"Okay pup, you remember the rules?"

"No talking about magic, be nice, and wait for you here."

"Perfect. Now give me a big hug and kiss goodbye. I'm not going to see you until three o'clock."

Harry climbed up onto Sirius's lap and wrapped his arms around him tightly. "Love you," he said.

"Love you too pup. Have fun."

Harry nodded, climbing off Sirius's lap to join the other kids. Sirius waited until Harry introduced himself to a classmate, John, then headed to the edge of the parking lot where several other parents were standing. There he waited for about ten more minutes until Harry's class headed inside. With one last wave as Harry disappeared into the building; he headed back to the car. It was time for work.

**11 Sept 2005**

It was shorty before lunch when the phone rang. Sirius was sitting at the kitchen table reading through the next year's proposed budget for the Ministry when it did. In all honesty, he was surprised. While Aletha had installed a telephone as soon as she moved in (and Sirius had received telephone lessons the moment she realized he was utterly incompetent with one), they rarely received calls. The only people who usually called where the Grangers, as all their wizarding friends preferred the floo. So, closing the budget proposition, he answered the phone.

"Hello, this is the Black residence, Sirius speaking."

"Hello Mr. Black. This is Nurse Anderson from Harry's school."

"Is he okay?" Sirius asked nervously.

"He is fine. We were doing a routine health check with all the kids and something came up. I was wondering if you could come in."

"Uh, yah. Sure. Is it okay if I bring his younger brothers? I don't have daycare for them today."

"Of course."

"Right, I'll be there in about twenty minutes then."

By the time Sirius arrived at the school, he had grown quite nervous. The nurse had said a routine health check, but still… Signing himself in at the office, he was directed to the nurse's office where he found Harry busy colouring. Immediately, seeing that Harry appeared to be physically fine, he greeted him.

"Hi buddy. How are you?"

"I'm good. Colouring."

"Okay, can the twins join you? I need to talk to the nurse for a few minutes."

"Okay," Harry responded, pulling out some more crayons and paper.

"Thanks buddy."

"Mr. Black? I'm Nurse Anderson."

"Nice to meet you. What did you want to talk about?" He asked, placing the twins on a chair next to Harry, while casting a quick tether charm so they couldn't wander off.

Nurse Anderson walked over to her desk and sat down behind it. "Well, this morning I ran the routine hearing and vision tests for Harry's class and I noticed Harry had some problems reading the letters. I believe he needs glasses, and I would suggest taking him to optometrist soon."

"Oh course," Sirius muttered to himself. "I should have though of that. James had awful vision. Couldn't see a thing without his specs."

"James?" Nurse Anderson asked.

"Yah, his dad. Harry is my godson, well son now. I should have thought about the fact that his dad had terrible vision. I think the fact that his eyes look so much like his mum's tricked my wife and I." Sirius watched as Nurse Anderson's eyes glanced over to the twins and Harry and then back at Sirius. "Yah, he knows about James and Lily, or his first mum and dad as he likes to call them. It's fairly obvious, even to a five-year-old that he has a different mum than his brothers and sister."

"Right, well I have a list of a few optometrists in the nearby area I can give you. They are all excellent, though I think the first one is the best with young children."

"Thanks so much."

"Your welcome," Nurse Anderson replied as she stood up.

"Hey pup, did the Nurse Anderson tell you what she told me?" Harry shook his head. "Well, she says you probably need glasses."

"Like my first daddy?"

"Yup, like James."

"Okay, can I go back to class now?"

"Of course, I'll walk you back," Nurse Anderson replied. Sirius gave a little wave goodbye as he grabbed the twins.

"I'll see you after school Harry."

"Bye daddy."

**14 Sept 2005**

"I like these ones!" Harry announced, holding up a bright blue pair of glasses.

"How about these ones?" Sirius asked, showing him a pair of black and green ones. Looking at all the options, he was amazed. James had always worn some variation of wire-rimmed specs. Sirius remembered the pair he had worn first year, they were so large and round they seemed to swallow half his face. But now there was a whole section of brightly coloured children's glasses in all shapes and sizes. Harry had decided he liked rectangular ones with bright plastic frames. Now they were just deciding on a colour.

"I like those too!"

"Okay buddy, how many do you have there?"

"One, two, thwee, four, five!"

"How about we try them all one in order and pick your favorite then?"

"Okay," Harry replied, picking up a bright red pair. Sirius nodded after each one, watching Harry try on red, green, blue, brown and orange, and black and green. Personally he thought the black and green looked best, but Harry was convinced otherwise. "These one!" he finally proclaimed, holding up the blue ones. "I like these best."

"Okay, let's bring them up the front then, shall we?"

A few hours later, after a trip to the grocery store in between, the glasses were ready.

"You might have some trouble getting him to wear them at first," the optometrist explained. "A lot of parents find it hard to convince their kids to wear them because probably none of his friends do, especially if nether parent wears glasses."

Sirius watched as Harry starred at himself in the mirror, admiring his new glasses. "I think we'll be okay. His biological dad used to wear glasses all the time. He loves looking at photos of him, so I think that will help."

"Probably. His prescription is also strong enough that pretty soon he won't want to go back seeing the world as out of focus as it is to him. But, if you have any problems or if he complains of headaches, bring him right back in."

"Great, thank you so much."

"Your welcome."

"Come on Harry, let's show you mum your new glasses.

"Do you think she'll like them?"

"Of course, you look very handsome with them on."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can just imagine Sirius with the kids being stared at and thinking "Yes I'm in a wheelchair. Yes, they are all mine. And yes, one is white while the other three are half black. You have a problem with that?" And he probably sends more wandless stinking hexes at staring people than he should. I would do that if I were a wizard... alas I am not, and must stick with staring back at rude people.


	36. Hogwarts Letters: Part 3

**22 Oct 2005**

Minerva McGonagall listened to her students chat away as she ate her oatmeal. They were unaware she was listening, which she enjoyed, as it was one of the few times she could hear what they were really thinking about Hogwarts.

"I went to dueling club last night, it was amazing. I never knew Flitwick was so awesome."

"What did he do?"

"He used a spell combo of harmless looking spells to disable the seventh year who was assisting him. It took him less than a minute."

"Blimey, that does so cool."

"You should come next week."

Minerva smiled happily. When Sirius had approached her with a plan to change Hogwarts last Christmas, she hadn't expected much. After all, there was always a battle between the progressives and the traditionalists. But Sirius, or likely Andromeda, had known exactly how to approach the issue and sway people to their side. As a result, they had hired several new teachers this year. Binns had been told to move on, Snape had quite happily left to do potions research (against Dumbledore's protest), and both she and Filius had hired master's candidates to guide and have help teach the lower years. And it was wonderful. Finding themselves with so much free time, Filius had started a dueling club. It meet three times a week, once for third years, once for fourth and fifth years, and once for sixth and seventh years. She had started a chess club, which was planning its first tournament next weekend. And, only a month and half into school, she had already noticed changes. The students loved the clubs. They provided opportunities for friends from different houses to hang out, and ways for rival houses to compete without hexing each other in the hallways.

"Did you hear about the new quidditch plans?"

"No, what plans?"

"The teachers are talking about starting a junior league to give more kids a chance to play matches! I don't know how many teams there will be though."

"So you'll get to play?"

"Yah, chaser. Wilson graduates next year, so I'm hoping if I get to play junior this year, I might make the house team next year."

The new quidditch teams were Professor Mehgan's, the new Defensive and Offensive Spells teacher (previously DADA), idea. He loved quidditch and wanted more than twenty-eight students to have the option to play. Minerva had quickly approved of the idea, and Madam Hooch had worked with Mehgan on the details. The teams would be split into two leagues, second through fourth year and fifth through seventh year. They would be a game every other weekend (younger one weekend, older the next), but the games would be capped at two hours. The teams could also have up to ten players. The announcement would happen at the beginning of November, and games would start after the winter break.

"I can't believe McGonagall announced we have another class next semester."

"It's going to be awful! Writing and English Literature? Don't we have enough to do?"

"To think, more essays! I'll never survive!"

"And reading, I took English Lit in primary, and we read and analyzed tons of books. I was surprised Hogwarts didn't have it."

"But now we do. I bet the Ravenclaws are happy."

"That's cause the Ravenclaws are a bunch of nerds."

Minerva stifled a laugh. Many of the Ravenclaws had expressed excitement after the announcement of the new Writing and Literature class. So had the teachers for that matter. Filius had actually jumped for joy at the thought of someone else teaching the students how to write! Minerva herself had written a heartfelt thank you note for Sirius to pass on to his supporters letting them know how much the staff appreciated everything they were doing. She knew Sirius had fought hard for every sickle of funding the Wizengamont had agreed to. While they didn't have enough to hire teachers for some of the other muggle classes Sirius had proposed to her, they had secured enough for this class and master's candidates for potions and herbology.

As breakfast ended and the students went off to class, McGonagall simply watched. She had always loved Hogwarts and loved teaching. But, in all honesty, Hogwarts had been in desperate need of an overhaul. Thinking about all the new changes and future changes, she could not be prouder of her school. With a small laugh, she realized the irony of one of the infamous Marauders spearheading the campaign to improve school. But, then again, Black and Potter had always been brilliant if troublesome students. Maybe they had simply been too bored.

**25 Oct 2005**

_Mr. Lupin,_

_I hope this letter finds you in good health. I am writing to you because, as your friend Mr. Black might have mentioned, we are starting a Writing and English Literature class here at Hogwarts next semester. As you might imagine, we are looking for a teacher who has studied at Muggle University. Sirius mentioned you are currently a substitute teacher for a muggle school in London. If you are interested in a job here at Hogwarts, I would love to hear back from you._

_Sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts_

**2 Nov 2005**

_Professor McGonagall,_

_While I sincerely appreciate the offer and would love to teach at Hogwarts, as you are well aware I have a certain "furry little problem" which would prevent me from teaching at least on the day after the full moon. If you are willing to hire me despite this, I would love the opportunity to interview._

_Sincerely,_

_Remus Lupin_

**10 Nov 2005**

_Mr. Lupin,_

_I dare say I have not forgotten your "furry little problem." However, my stance on it has not changed since you are a student here. If I thought it would be a problem, I would not have approached you. How does the morning of the 22_ _nd_ _work, say 9 am?_

_Sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

**12 Nov 2005**

_Professor McGonagall,_

_9 am on the 22_ _nd_ _works perfectly. I shall see you then._

_Sincerely,_

_Remus Lupin_

**13 Nov 2005**

_Dear Sirius,_

_I get to play quidditch! I am on the younger junior's team for Hufflepuff! Did you hear about the new quidditch teams? Hopefully I'll improve enough to play for the house team before I graduate. I know you mock me for being clumsy, but I am pretty good at flying. Even if I do occasionally drop the quaffle… Will you come to see my games? Mum says she probably won't be able to see every single one, but she will try to make a few. Our first game is January, and Hooch says we'll have about a game a month._

_I quite like our Defensive and Offensive Spells teacher. (I don't think DOS is a very good acronym- I looked that word up!). Professor Mehgan is a retired Auror and he really knows his stuff. I asked him if he knew you and he said you were "a good Auror but a pain in my arse." What did you do to make him think that about you? Did you pull any pranks?_

_Talking about pranks, Charlie and I managed to release a niffler in the Gryffindor common room! I didn't see it while it was in there, but Charlie said it caused havoc and I watched all of the Gryffindor's run out of their portrait like the room was on fire!_

_Love,_

_Dora_

**20 Nov 2005**

_Dear Dora,_

_Congratulations! For both making the quidditch team and a well executed prank. When you are home for winter break, we will have to work on both those skill sets. Harry is quite the quidditch player now, and Lyra is well on her way as well. Aletha thinks the twins are too young to fly, but I took them out last week just to see how it went. I think I will make quidditch players out of them as well_ _J_

_As for Professor Mehgan, I might have pulled a few pranks with the help of James on him. I remember one time we managed to slip him a potion that changed his hair colour every few minutes. He looked like you when you are excited. Tell him I say hi, will you?_

_Love,_

_Sirius_

_Dora,_

_Hi. Do you like school? I do. I learnt my letters and Daddy is helping me write this letter to you. This is my try numder 3 cause I had to fix my spelling. It is tricky._

_I love you,_

_Harry_

**25 Nov 2005**

_Dear Sirius and Harry,_

_Thanks for the letters! And Harry, I love school. I can't believe you know how to write already! Do you know how to read? And don't work, I check my letters for spelling too. Although Professor Flitwick taught us a charm to highlight all the misspelled words and shows a corrected version. It is super useful._

_And Sirius, that's awesome! Do you have any photos of your pranks? I would love to see them and learn from you. I've gotta go, I have a transfiguration essay due tomorrow._

_Love,_

_Dora_

**27 Nov 2005**

_Mr. Lupin,_

_I would like to congratulate you on your new job! After interviewing several candidates, we have agreed that you are best suited to the job, as you have practical experience teaching Writing and English Literature in the muggle world. As you may be aware, our long-term goal is to provide a complete GCSE class. Therefore, this experience is invaluable._

_There are a few details we need to work out regarding the job. Included in this letter is information regarding the salary, housing and meal benefits, as well as the Board required documentation on your transformations. Please review it and get back to me._

_Sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

**5 Dec 2005**

_Professor McGonagall,_

_Seeing as we are to be colleagues, please call me Remus. I must admit being called Mr. Lupin makes me feel as if I am about to be called on in class. As for the few details, here are my thoughts._

_The salary is perfect. I see no need for negotiations. As for housing and meals, I was wondering if I could live off campus and apparate or floo in. I would be more than happy to stay late the nights that I have patrol. This would be ideal as my wife is a muggle and works in muggle London. It also removes the need for the transformation contingencies, as I would be off campus, and under the influence of Wolfsbane. While I appreciate the offer for your potions professor to brew it for me, my current supplier insists that she "enjoys the challenge of brewing it and I shouldn't dare take that joy away from her."_

_Please let me know if these arrangements are suitable,_

_Remus_

**11 Dec 2005**

_Dear Remus,_

_Congratulations on your marriage! Living off campus is more than acceptable. As you may know, only heads off house are required to have apartments here, although I am more than happy to assign you one if you wish to have a place to stay on nights you have patrol. Additionally, I will make sure to arrange your duty nights to be during the week so that you do not have to come in over the weekends._

_If that is all, please stop by at your earliest convenience to sign the contract. I would also appreciate if you could provide a book list by the 22_ _nd_ _of December. If that is too soon, please let me know._

_Sincerely,_

_Minerva_

**_13 Dec 2005_ **

_Dear Dora,_

_You will never believe who your new Writing and English Literature teacher is! Remus! Yup, your one and only Uncle Remus will indeed be teaching at Hogwarts come spring semester. I will warn you, prank at your own risk. He might seem mild mannered, but he is devious. And nearly impossible to catch! Why, back in our school days James and I almost always got detention, but Remus seemed to always wiggle out of it._

_Anyways, see you soon,_

_Sirius_


	37. Parties and Public Appearances

 

**14 Dec 2005**

Amelia Bones was nervous. One might think this was because she had important meeting, raid, or Wizengamont session coming up. But then, one would be wrong. Amelia Bones was nervous because her house was about to be overrun by a bunch of five and six year old wizards. For today was the day of her niece's birthday party.

The house was decorated with balloons and streamers, the cake was made, the snacks were set out in small bowls, and the party favours were packaged. Now all the remained was for the guests to come. Arriving shortly would be Harry, Hannah, Neville, Daphne, Astoria, Draco, Hermione, Lavender, Tracey, Ernie, and Blaise. A full house for sure.

"Auntie, when will they be here?" Susan asked excitedly.

"Any minute now. Is everything ready?"

"Mhm. I've been ready for ever!"

Just then the doorbell rang and Susan went running down the hall. Amelia followed at a more sedate pace, reaching the door just as Susan let in Matthew and Hannah Abbott.

"Good afternoon Amelia," Matthew greeted at the two girls ran off down the hall. "Are we first to arrive?"

"Good afternoon Matthew, and yes. But don't worry; Susan was bouncing off the walls waiting for her friends to arrive. I am sure Hannah was the same."

"That she was. She tried to leave almost an hour ago. I managed to hold her off this long."

"Almost an hour? I am impressed, but please, come inside. I am sure the other guests will be arriving momentarily." Amelia stepped aside, letting Matthew into the house and led him to the living room. "Would you like some tea?"

"Earl Grey would be delicious, thank you."

With a flick of her wand, a tray of tea floated into the room, settling down on the table between them. Amelia poured them both a glass, adding two sugars to her own.

"One sugar and a dash of milk, please," Matthew asked. Settling down with his tea, he started to relax as the floo dinged.

"That would be Sirius with Harry," Amelia explained. "He should be through in just a moment." And, indeed, a moment later the floo turned green as Sirius exited, Harry on his lap. A moment later, a very proud Hermione stumbled out of the floo. "Susan is in the playroom with Hannah if you want to join," Amelia informed Harry and Hermione.

Harry nodded and jumped off Sirius's lap, running out of the living room and up the stairs, Hermione following after a quick "Thank you". Sirius laughed heartily as he crossed the living room. "A bit excited he is. I think Aletha was ready to kick us out thirty minutes ago just to get some peace and quite." Turning to Matthew, he added, "I'm glad I'm not the only one who was forced to arrive right on time."

Matthew smiled, "well, we all know how children can be," he said. Taking a sip of his tea, he looked at Sirius. This was the first time he had seen him outside of official meetings. Hannah and Harry had played together a few times, but it had always been Aletha who dropped him off, or they had meet at the Bones', and not actually seen each other. The first thing he noticed, of course, was the wheelchair. While Sirius had admitted to an injury that affected his walking, the chair indicated it was far more serious than he wished to let the general public know. Which made sense. The second thing he noticed was Sirius's clothes. At all their meetings and the official functions, Sirius had worn simple, yet elegant and expensive wizarding robes. But now he was wearing casual muggle clothes, specifically jeans and a sweater. He looked more at ease and natural in the muggle clothes, yet younger. After all, Sirius was only twenty-six.

Sirius smiled at Matthew as he accepted the tea Amelia offered, indicating he had noticed Matthew examining him. As Amelia left to greet more guests, Sirius placed his tea down on the table. "So what do you think?" he asked Matthew.

"Of the real you?" Sirius nodded. "You seem much more at ease. Looking back I can see how uncomfortable you are as Lord Black, especially at the beginning."

Sirius laughed lightly. "You should have seen me suffering through all the etiquette and politics lessons Frank Longbottom, Amelia, and my cousin Andromeda put me through. While I grew up learning all of those things, well… Let's just say when I was thrown out I made it my goal to forget it all."

"So Lord Black is really just a lazy twenty-something year-old?"

More laughter. "I'd like to think I'm not lazy. But I am certainly far more muggle than people would like to think. After all, I live in a muggle neighborhood and Harry attends a muggle primary school."

"Ah, yes. You name is associated with several new bills, including the Muggleborn Contact bill. One of these days some of the traditionalists just might realize these progressive new bills are being spearheaded by the Lord Black."

"What a tragic day that would be."

"What would be tragic?" Amelia asked, returning to the room.

"The day people realize the great Lord Black actually prefers football and barbeques to fancy parties and politics."

"Scandalous. Talking about parties, have you thought about attending the New Years Ball?"

Sirius groaned. "I didn't have to go last year, why would I have to go this year?"

"Perhaps because last year you were a new Lord nobody really knew anything about. Not that people know much about you now," Matthew replied.

"And maybe because half the population still thought you were a follower of Voldemort," Amelia added with a smirk. "This year people realize you are a force in the Wizengamont, and they have concluded that you do not, in fact, belong in Azkaban."

"Wonderful," Sirius groaned. "I don't suppose there is any way to get out of this? I'm not really much of a dancer."

"You might be able to get away with sending a representative of the Black family instead," Matthew postulated. "It would have to be someone quite important, and capable of dealing with politicians. They would be acting as your voice."

"Perfect. I can send my cousin Narcissa. She loves these sorts of events. Well, really she loves any reason to purchase new dress robes."

"Narcissa Malfoy?" Matthew asked.

"Black now. She took the Black name once again when Lucius… ran into problems with the law."

Amelia laughed, "Ran into problems with the law? I'd like to think I was more than a problem."

"Fair enough, Amelia. When Lucius got beaten senseless by the magnificent Aurors who are lead by the fabulous Madam Bones," Sirius corrected.

"Much better, thank you."

"So, Narcissa Black. Her son is Draco, correct?"

"Yes, why do you ask?"

"Well, he is the heir to the Black Lordship, correct? That would certainly make Narcissa a suitable stand in."

Sirius ran his fingers through his hair. "About that…"

Matthew choked on a sip of tea. "Draco is not your heir? Is Harry then? While you might have adopted him in the muggle world, Draco is by all rights the heir. Choosing Draco over Harry would upset much of the pureblood faction. Especially since you say Narcissa is a Black and not a Malfoy now."

"It's uh…"

"Not Harry," Amelia supplied. "Is it Polaris or Oberon? I forget who is older."

"Polaris and Oberon?" Matthew asked, confused.

"My sons. And Oberon is older by a few minutes. That's why he comes first alphabetically."

"Your sons? When did this happen?" Matthew asked. "And just as I thought I knew you…" he trailed off quietly.

"They turn two in four days. And while Oberon is currently listed as heir in case of my untimely death, I plan on truly deciding later. I mean, what if Oberon hates politics and Polaris loves them? Or what about Lyra?"

"Your daughter?"

"She is three and a half. Currently the Black Lordship is passed on to the oldest male, but as Lord I can change that to oldest child."

"Blimey. This suddenly got more complicated. If Draco is not your heir, than Narcissa isn't really a suitable substitute."

"What if Sirius never indicates otherwise and lets people assume Draco is? I mean, outside the three of us, I think Frank is the only Lord who knows about the twins."

"Why share now?" Sirius asked. "Especially if it gets me out of a ministry party."

"I suppose that could work. Although at some point you will have to go to one of these functions. And you will have to introduce Harry to the public. He is quite famous," Matthew explained.

"At least it is not as bad as it could have been," added Amelia. "Ted managed to stop all those Boy-Who-Lived storybooks."

Sirius groaned, "don't remind me of those! And fine, I'll eventually go to one of these blasted events. Just not this one."

"I'll hold you to that," Matthew promised. "Now, I don't know about you, but I would live to enjoy the next few childfree hours while Amelia supervises this party."

"You might be childfree, but as you just found out, I have three more. By the way, who is watching the children?" Sirius asked Amelia.

"The house elf, Toppy. She loves children and is great with them. I suppose I should stop in and see how things are going. Now off you two."

"Yes ma'am!" Sirius chirped.

"Have a lovely afternoon, Amelia."

**19 March 2006**

"Why did I agree to this?" Sirius moaned as he rolled out of the floo into the Longbottom's living room.

"Because Matthew and Amelia decided you needed to be seen outside of the Wizengamont chambers and you figured if you were going to appear in public with Harry it might as well be at something fun. Like a quidditch game," Frank explained.

"Right. Besides, it's Puddlemere United versus Montrose Magpies. Should be a good game."

"And Harry is certainly excited. You are going to have fun, Sirius. I know you love quidditch, you have just forgotten how great it is to actually go to a game."

"I know, I know. It's just; I haven't really been out in public since James and Lily died. And Harry has never been out in public. I worry it will all be too much for him."

Frank sighed. It was a concern, a very real one. He agreed with Sirius's decision to keep Harry out of the public eye for so long, but it really was time. Harry had a normal life in the muggle world, and if they slowly started attending events and meeting people, by the time Harry entered Hogwarts, it wouldn't be a big deal. Personally, he thought Sirius was more concerned about showing up himself. Outside of him, Amelia, Matthew, the Weasleys, and family, every appearance Sirius had made was carefully planned. He had carefully constructed an image of a powerful aristocrat. And attending the game could ruin that. Primarily, people would realize Sirius couldn't really walk, which they feared would open him up to attack. Sirius had been a highly skilled dueler, capable of taking down almost anyone (he still was quite good, but not as). Without that threat there was a really good chance Death Eater sympathizers (they never caught them all, and many never went to jail) would target him and Harry. In all honesty, Frank was surprised they had made it this far. "Everything will be fine. All we are doing is portkeying to the stadium, heading up to the box, watching the game, and leaving. Simple and easy. Okay?"

"Okay. How long till the portkey?"

"Five minutes. We should grab the boys."

Arriving at the stadium, Sirius forgot his worries as they made their way through vendors and crowds. The atmosphere was amazing, full of excitement and anticipation. A few times he heard people whispering, "Is that Harry Potter?" or "Sirius Black, the Lord Black, is the one in the chair." But, for the most part, people left them alone. Everyone was too busy buying snacks, souvenirs, and finding their seats. After stopping at a stall to purchase jerseys for Harry and Neville, the four made their way up to the box.

The box itself was not large, so Sirius had found enough friends to book the entire box. Already inside were the Abbotts (Sirius said if Matthew was going to force him to come, he had to be there too), Susan (Amelia was working), and Ted Tonks. He had invited Remus, but Remus had claimed he was too busy grading papers. (Really he thought it was because Remus didn't like quidditch but didn't want to admit it). As Harry and Neville eagerly made their way to the front row, Frank and Sirius greeted Matthew and Ted.

"Still annoyed I made you come?"

"Yes. I might be enjoying myself, but there was really no need to force me. I do get out."

"In the muggle world."

"Don't knock it. It's a lovely place, right Ted?"

"Yup. Sirius is a football fan now. We've gone to a few games with his neighbor, Dan."

"Football? I must admit I only have a passing familiarity with it. I have never actually seen or listened to a game."

"We will have to fix that then. If you are going to force me to a quidditch game, I'll force you to a football one."

"Corrupting all the purebloods now?" Frank asked cheekily.

"I personally think it is an admirable goal. One I've had since I was introduced to motorcycles and bikinis when I was fifteen."

Frank and Ted starting laughing, as Matthew simply looked at them in confusion. "I'll have to go with you just so I learn what you all find so funny," he muttered under his breath.

The game lasted nearly four exciting hours. The chasers for Puddlemere flew amazingly, but the Magpies' keeper was better. He was the favorite to play keeper for Scotland in the next World Cup. But not matter how exciting a game is, children grow bored quickly. So, by the end of it, all the children had lost interest and switched to playing gobstones on the floor. Although Sirius was very proud of Harry, he had spotted the snitch about an hour in. Hopefully he would prove just as good at spotting it while flying. Gathering all their belongings, the group exited the box.

As they made it to the bottom of the ramp, Sirius's good day was ruined. A crowd of people and several reporters from the daily prophet were waiting.

"Is that Harry Potter with you?" one reported asked, quick notes quill hovering above their parchment.

"Does this mark Harry Potter's reintroduction to wizarding society?" another asked.

"Lord Black, is that a recent injury?"

"Does going to a quidditch game together mean the Abbotts, Longbottoms, and Blacks are allied?"

"Come on," Frank said as he pulled a rope out of his pocket. "I have an emergency portkey from Amelia. It will take us right through the wards back to the manor. Grab onto it. You too Harry and Neville."

Once all four of them were holding onto the rope, Sirius turned to Matthew.

"It's alright. Get out of here. Ted's a lawyer. We will be fine."

Sirius simply nodded as Frank muttered "damn reporters" and the portkey activated.


	38. Wolfsbane and Skele-gro

**15 June 2006**

Sirius was completely and utterly exhausted. The Wizengamont session had lasted nearly ten hours- from nine in the morning to six thirty at night. And a large portion of the time had been spent discussing the new bill he introduced. The bill, for the most part was fairly popular. It proposed that the ministry help pay for medical treatments at St. Mungos for victims of "dark magic, curses, hexes, and such." While some members of the Wizengamont had argued against the government paying for treatment, claiming that individuals should be in charge of their own health, the devastation of Voldemort's reign convinced the Wizengamont that such a bill was necessary. For, in the war, many witches and wizards had been attacked because they were muggleborn, 'blood traitors,' half-bloods, or simply unlucky. And many of them had struggled to pay for necessary and often expensive medical treatment. Therefore, the moderate faction had allied with the light faction of the Wizengamont to ensure that part of the bill passed.

While the argument over whether or not the government should pay for the treatments was heated, most of it had occurred behind closed doors prior to the actual session. Where the time was mostly spent was actually in the definition of "dark magic, curses, hexes, and such." While most of the Wizengamont members had simply taken that statement at face value, some members looked into the appendices of the document to read through each and every example of "dark magic, curses, hexes, and such." This is where the problems began. For, in that list, Sirius (well really Ted as he was the lawyer) had added one extremely controversial example of a dark curse- Lycanthropy. By placing lycanthropy under the list of dark curses, the bill proposed that the government view it as a treatable medical condition. And, more importantly, provide subsidized access to the wolfsbane potion.

The goal behind this decision was simple, to improve the lives and rights of werewolves. With regular, inexpensive access to wolfsbane, most werewolves could work all but one day a month. They could retain control of their minds, ending the cycle of self-mutilation the moon brought on. They were no longer dangerous. Sirius believed that if the bill passed, and werewolves took advantage of the wolfsbane, he could soon pass further legislation to bar discrimination against victims of lycanthropy in the workplace. It was a difficult goal for sure, but an important one. After all, his best friend was a werewolf. But currently, it appeared the bill would fail because of one person. Umbridge.

"Werewolves are a curse upon civilized society!" she had spat early in the debate. "Providing them with access to the wolfsbane potion will not make them harmless! No! These dark creatures will take advantage of the fact they have control over their minds and attack helpless young witches and wizards! They will hunt us down, and kill us. We CANNOT let the government pay for a potion that will lead to the death of us all!"

"If they have access to the wolfsbane potion, a werewolf is no different from any other wizard. Do you go out and attack young witches and wizards simply because it is the full moon?" Sirius shouted back, his blood boiling.

"No I do not. But the matter is completely different. I am a witch, while werewolves are vile, disgusting, dark creatures. It is in their nature to attack!"

Sirius had so wanted to point out that he knew a werewolf who happened to be the most mild-mannered, bookish man he knew, but he couldn't do that to Remus. If word got out that he was a werewolf… well, he certainly wouldn't be able to keep his job at Hogwarts. So, instead, he merely pulled out the statistics regarding werewolf attacks over the last three decades.

"As you can see," he summarized after reading though several pages, "ninety percent of werewolf attacks were perpetrated by three known werewolves. And, the majority was by Fenrir Greyback. The remaining ten percent were a result of broken containment. Half of the people responsible for those attacks either turned themselves in- despite the penalty being execution- or committed suicide before authorities could respond. Providing the wolfsbane potion will only help the community. Yes, Greyback would likely use it as a way to target more victims. But he is already a wanted criminal. If he showed up to St. Mungos, law enforcement would simply arrest him. Lycanthropy is a curse. These people do not ask for it. They do not want it. But they suffer all the same. We have the power to help them, why would we not?" Sirius could see his appeal of logic working on some people, but not enough. Umbridge, leading the opposition, used hate and fear to sway people back. Unfortunately, the wizarding world was often too fast to ignore facts and listen to emotions. The muggles' use of logic was something he appreciated about their world. He even found he used logic far more than he used to.

After several hours of intense debate, or maybe shouting would be a better description, a recess was called. The Wizengamont would reconvene tomorrow and vote on the matter. So, at six thirty, an exhausted Sirius looked over at Frank.

"Grab a drink? I think I need one before heading home," Sirius explained.

"I'm down. I flooed Alice during the afternoon recess to let her know it looked like we were going to be here for a while. She said she would let Aletha know."

"Thanks, you're the best. Where do you want to go?"

"You down for the Leaky Cauldron? I could do with some firewhiskey."

Sirius sighed. Ever since the quidditch game, Frank, Matthew, and Amelia had been pressuring him to go out in the wizarding world more. "I suppose, I'm in robes at least. Help me down the stairs?"

The one good thing about going out in the wizarding world more was that Sirius had stopped trying to walk everywhere. He still made an effort when attending Wizengamont sessions, as image really was everything. (He had been particularly annoyed when during the session following the quidditch match someone had asked why they should listen to the 'crippled Lord who couldn't even walk.' To which he had responded 'I'd rather not be able to walk than not have two brain cells to rub together.' The man had simply looked at him confused, but it made Sirius feel better). But, as he was exhausted from standing all day (up and down every time he spoke), and they were headed to the pup, Sirius decided that walking was just too much effort.

Making their way through the Ministry, the two chatted about their plans for the summer, greeting acquaintances on their way. Reaching the atrium, the pair flooed to the Leaky Cauldron and ordered firewhiskeys. Just as they finished their second drink, the pleasant evening went to hell.

Four men, dressed in dark robes that obscured their faces, entered the pub. The four looked around the pub until they saw Frank and Sirius, and then began making their way over.

"Looks like we're about to have company," Frank whispered.

Sirius glanced at the men, noticing their wands were hidden in their sleeves, ready to use. "They're reading to attack," he agreed. "Don't start anything but be ready?"

"Agreed. You shield, I'll attack?"

Sirius nodded, slipping his wand into his hand, and rotating himself to face the men as they drew closer. He saw Frank's demeanor shift from relaxed to a tense stance he remembered from when he used to work with Frank. He might not look it, but Frank was one of the best.

Just as the men were within ten feet of the two, the tallest man spoke. "You think you can get away with this?" He asked, his voice full of hate and anger.

"Get away with what?"

"Giving those things," he spat, "access to wolfsbane potion. On OUR galleon!"

Sirius glanced at Frank. He figured some people would be annoyed at him for the bill, but he hadn't expected this. At least not so soon. Frank simply shrugged back, indicating he was just as surprised. But before either man could respond, the tallest man fired a red beam of light at Sirius.

"Protego!" he shouted just in time, the shield deflecting the curse at the last moment.

Someone else in the pub screamed, causing people to panic as all four attackers began firing. Frank stood quickly, whipping out his wand and casting a stunner. Surprised, the man on the end was caught unaware, falling down. Sirius, who was stuck sitting in the booth, cast a stronger shield around both him and Frank.

"Call the Aurors Tom!" he shouted as yet another curse hit his shield.

Frank continued to fire back with a serious of stunners, incarcerouses, and body-binds, but their attackers were not limited to non-lethal spells.

Sirius felt his shield fail as what appeared to be an entrails-exploding curse hit it. "Damn it," he muttered, bringing up another shield, but not before a cutting curse hit Frank in his off arm. Another man fell, as Frank shot back a quick series of stunners, until the man's shield failed.

With only two men left, Sirius sent a look to Frank, who nodded in return. Suddenly, he dropped the shield, and the two sent a rapid succession of curses at the remaining attacker. Both attackers brought up shields, but the pure volume of stunners eventually broke through, bringing down the remaining attackers.

Frank sat down, grabbing a napkin from the table to staunch the bleeding on his arm as the Aurors apparated in. "Bind them," he commanded the Auror, who seemed shocked to find one of his bosses there, and the attackers already unconscious.

"Yes sir. Should I call in a medi-wizard?"

"No need," Sirius cut in. "I'll call one myself." Pulling out a cell phone (shielded against outside magic, which apparently was not that difficult to do), Sirius called Andromeda.

A few minutes later, Andromeda apparated in, a displeased look on her face.

"They started it," Sirius muttered.

"Even so, you still manage to call me asking for help. You do realize I was enjoying a lovely dinner with my husband and daughter?"

"Sorry," Sirius replied sheepishly. "And I called you for Frank, not me."

Frank gave a little wave, as Andromeda did a once over of Sirius. Making her way down to his legs, she gave a little cough. "I think you missed something."

Sirius looked down at his legs, noticing they looked a little crooked. "Damn it," he muttered, "looks like an Ossis Effergo, guess they got one in while my shield was down."

"It looks like skelegro to me. Let me fix up Frank, then I'll deal with you."

A few healing spells and minutes later, Frank's arm was fixed, and he was busy talking to Amelia, who had been called by one of the Aurors when they found out Frank was involved.

"Alright. Have you finished giving your statement? I'd prefer to do this at you house so you don't move around too much."

"I'm finished. Not to mention Amelia knows where to find me. Apparate back?" Sirius asked, transferring to his chair (and trying very hard not to bang his legs. He couldn't feel them, but the more damage there was, the more likely Andromeda was to vanish the bones).

Andromeda nodded and disapperated with a pop, moments before Sirius. Back at the house, she had Sirius lay down in his bed as she cast a diagnostic charm. "I think it might be better to vanish and regrow the bones. Both the tibia and fibula were broken in more than one place. They will heal better that way. The reason we don't usually do that is because it is quite painful and you cannot take a pain potion with skelegro."

"Which won't be a problem for me."

"Right. It will however take about twenty-four hours for the bones to heal completely, so I'm going to splint them first. What are you doing tomorrow?"

"Wizengamont session in the morning."

Andromeda sighed. "No walking or standing at all. You will have to trust me and wait at least until tomorrow night. Okay?"

"Yes mother."

Andromeda shook her head as she vanished the bones and handed Sirius a vile of skelegro. Holding his nose, he drank the potion in one go, wincing at the taste.

**16 June 2006**

The next morning Sirius picked up a copy of the Daily Prophet on his way into the ministry. Right on the front page was a picture of him and Frank sitting at the Leaky Cauldron as Andromeda healed Frank's arm, the attackers lying stunned and bound in the background.

"Quite an evening you had," Matthew said stepping alongside Sirius as he made his way to the elevator.

"It was indeed."

"Chair today?"

Sirius pointed to his lower legs, "Regrowing some bones. I guess I'm lucky I can't feel it."

"Had to regrow a knee after colliding with the ground during a quidditch game. Nasty stuff skelegro is."

"Tastes awful too. How do you think the vote will go this morning?"

"I think the bill just might pass. The fact that you and Frank were attacked as a direct result of arguing for the bill seems to have worked in your favor."

Sirius laughed. "Next thing you know they'll accuse me of hiring them to attack. And, by the way, this never happens to me at muggle bars."

"You never know, it could have. But loo at the bright side, you just might succeed this morning."

Sirius snorted in amusement, "Fend off an attack to pass a bill?"

"Something like that."

An hour later, Sirius was tense with anticipation. He had made his final remarks on the bill (Really the same things he had said yesterday, but Matthew appeared to be right. When he spoke sitting down, people whispered about the attack and seemed more thoughtful. He could play the pity card when it suited him) and the vote was about to be cast.

"All in favour of the bill, raise your wand," Madam Marchbanks announced. Sirius looked around the room, desperately trying to count the wands.

"All against the bill raise your wand." Several people raised their wands, but far fewer than he would have expected.

"All who abstain." Only three raised their wands. Sirius noted that yesterday they had been against.

"The final tally is 32 for, 15 against, 3 abstain. The bill is passed." Sirius let out the breath he had been holding and looked over at Frank. Another victory.


	39. Dress Robes and Obliviators

**9 Oct 2006**

"Get to Harry's school immediately," Amelia shouted into the floo. "The ministry's sensors detected a large spike of accidental magic and obliviators are on their way."

"Harry's?"

"I don't know. But if you don't want the entire country to know where Harry goes to school, you should hurry."

"Right," Sirius responded as Amelia pulled her face out of the floo. Luckily, the twins and Lyra were all at preschool, so Sirius apparated straight out of the house, reappearing at the corner of the school. Thankfully, he had warded the area to be muggle-repealing when he first enrolled Harry, so nobody noticed his sudden arrival.

Making his way towards the school, he felt magic in the air. As he reached the playground, he saw Hermoine standing in front of Harry and two older children laying on the ground a few feet away, staring at them, nose bleeding. The ground was completely clear in a neat semi-circle in front of Hermione; all the twigs, stones, chalk, and books that had previously been spread out formed the ring.

"Freak!" one of the boys yelled. "You're a freak! What did you do?"

Sirius watched Harry's panicked face relax as he saw his dad approach the playground.

"Mr. Black!" Hermione cried in surprise. "I didn't mean to, I didn't mean to hurt them. They trying to hurt Harry, and I got angry. Then all the sudden they were laying on the ground."

"Its okay Hermione," Sirius responded. "I know you didn't mean to. Harry, did you do anything?" he asked, glancing around.

"No," Harry answered meekly. "I was scared, but then Hermione stopped them."

Sirius nodded. "Your fine now." He heard the telltale sounds of appararition behind him. "Hermione, there are wizards coming. They are going to ask you about what happened. I want you to tell them as much as possible, but I need you to remember what Aletha told you and not mention Harry. Can you do that?"

"Is Harry in trouble?"

"No, but we can't let anyone know where Harry goes to school. There are bad guys who would hurt him. Can you do this for me?" He asked, glancing nervously over his shoulder. The obliviators weren't in sight yet, but he figured they would be soon.

Hermione nodded, gathering her courage. "I can do that. What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to make Harry and I disappear. Don't be scared. We will be okay," he explained as beckoned Harry over. Pulling Harry onto his lap, he cast a series of silencing and disillusionment charms, right as the obliviators entered the playground. By now, several teachers and students had gathered around to watch the proceedings. Slowly, Sirius backed away from the obliviators, staying close enough to see and hear what was going on, but hopefully far enough away that they wouldn't notice him and Harry. He really hoped Hermione would be okay and they wouldn't look too closely at the muggle's memories.

"Signature came from the girl right there," the taller of the two men stated.

"Right," the other answered. "Looks like a fairly simple case. Let's question the girl so we know how much time to remove, and who her family is."

The taller man nodded, and approached Hermione as he cast a series of privacy wards. "Hi, what's your name?"

"Hermione," she answered confidently. "You are here because I did magic, right?"

The man frowned; he knew muggleborns were notified when they first showed magic now, but there were no muggleborns registered as attending this particular school. "You know what you did?"

Hermione nodded, and concentrated. Mrs. Black had explained to her what to say several months ago. Now she just had to remember. "I'm a witch. I did…" she paused unsure of what type of magic it was.

"Accidental magic?" the man supplied. If the girl really knew about the wizarding world, this would be much easier.

"Yes, that. I'm sorry, I didn't mean too, but I got angry because they were being bullies."

The obliviator turned to his partner. "She's aware of our world."

The second man came over. "Hi, my name is Andrew. Can you tell me how long ago you did the magic?"

Hermione glanced down at her watch. "Twenty-five minus ten, that's… fifteen minutes ago."

"Got that?" he asked the taller man. "Fifteen minutes- add a confundous and suggest it was a normal break."

"On it."

"So Hermione, can you tell me how you know about our world? You aren't on our registry of witches."

Hermione took a deep breath- this was the tricky bit. "Mummy said her friend noticed me do magic and explained it all to her."

"Who was this friend?"

"Mrs. Tonks. She is a very nice lady."

Andrew nodded, trying to place the name Tonks. It sounded familiar, but he wasn't sure from where. "And what is your last name? So we can send someone to speak to your mum and dad?"

"Granger. My mum and dad are Dr. and Dr. Granger. They're dentists."

Andrew nodded again. Noticing his partner was done altering the muggle's memories, he asked, "Do you know who Mrs. Tonks might be? Hermione says she is a family friend who explained magic to her and her parents."

The taller man nodded. "Yah, Andromeda Tonks. Used to be Black. She helped write the new Muggleborn bill."

"Ah, that makes sense. Right then, no need to modify Hermione's memories, as she already knows." He turned back to Hermione, "now remember, no talking about magic to people who don't already know about it."

Hermione nodded solemly, "I won't."

"Good. Now my partner and I are going to disappear. It's called apparition and it often makes a pop. Don't be frightened. Once we disappear, just take a step or two towards your teachers and everything will be back to normal. Okay?"

"Okay," Hermione replied. With a smile, the two men disappeared, leaving Hermione behind. A moment later, Sirius reappeared next to her with Harry.

"Very nicely done, Hermione."

"But I lied to them," Hermione said quietly. "I'm not supposed to lie to adults."

Sirius sighed. "Remember how I said bad guys would come looking for Harry if they found out he was here?" Hermione nodded solemnly. "Well, those men are good guys, but they have to file an official report. If they knew Harry was here, or that you were friends with us, they could figure out where he lived."

"How is he safe now?" Hermione asked, looking at her best friend with worry.

"Cause I'm using my secret name!" Harry exclaimed.

"Secret name?"

"I'm Harry Black, but the wizards don't know me by that name."

"They don't?" Hermione asked, still confused.

"Harry is known by his first dad's last name in the wizarding world. I adopted him in the muggle world, so he has my last name here at school. But if people realized this, they could easily track him down."

"Oh. Is it scary?"

Harry shook his head. "No, cause I know daddy will stop any bad guys. So would Uncle Frank and Uncle Moody."

Hermione visibly relaxed. "That's good. I don't want you to get hurt."

With that, the bell rang and all the kids began making their way back to the classrooms. "You better get going," Sirius said. "But remember not to talk about what happened on the playground today. Okay?"

"Okay," both Harry and Hermione chorused back, running towards the teachers. Sirius watched them for a moment, then apparated away.

**11 Dec 2006**

"Sirius Orion Black," reprimanded Matthew Abbott, "why have you not responded to Amelia's invitation?

Sirius looked up from the paper he was writing and groaned. He really shouldn't have given Matthew the password for the floo to Grimauld. "Because I haven't decided if I'm going?" he replied.

"Nonsense. I informed you several months ago that you would be attending the Balls this season. I expect you to attend both Amelia and Alice's events, as well as the Ministry function. It is high time you act like the Lord you are."

"I tried to give the job away," he muttered under his breath. "Do I have to go to all three?" he questioned, out loud.

"Yes. And you need to bring Harry to at least one. Maybe your wife and children as well."

"I don't suppose you will change your mind about Harry, will you?"

"No. We talked about this last year. And, Harry has already made public appearances. They have, for the most part, gone quite well. If you bring Harry to both Amelia's and Alice's, you could get away with him not attending the Ministry Ball. Besides, there will be lot's of children at the parties, many of whom he is friends with."

Sirius groaned again. "I suppose I'm also supposed to wear dress robes?"

Matthew shook his head. "I am embarrassed for you. Of course, Harry too!"

"Fine. I'll go. I'll think about the rest of the family."

Matthew nodded, he figured it was the most he would get out of Sirius. He would remind Andromeda to pester him some more. Now that the wizarding world was getting used to seeing Harry (well as used to as he figured they would), he figured it was time for the rest of Sirius's family to be introduced. There really was no need to hide entirely any more, and nobody knew where Sirius lived. Not even him.

"Any other news? Or did you just come here to pester me about parties?"

"Ah, yes, news. I did come by with some of that. I have the latest report from the Hogwarts Board of Governors."

"And?"

"They seem quite happy with the changes. With a few more moderate voices on the board, they are even in favor of the new muggle classes."

"That's good, I know Remus loves teaching there and Dora says the new clubs are a huge success. She plays on the junior quidditch team for Hufflepuff."

"I'm glad. Anyways, the Board have agreed that the muggle classes are a success, including the history classes they started this semester. They have agreed to offer math starting next semester, and science courses as electives starting next school year."

Sirius nodded, pulling out his notes on the changes they had proposed. "What is the Board's opinion on offering the GCSEs? I spoke to Mr. Bowen in the muggle relations department, and he said logistically it would be quite easy to administer the tests and record the results with the muggle government for those with muggle birth certificates. Doing so for those without would require them to set up a muggle identity, but he said it is still fairly simple. Apparently they have a sub-department devoted to that sort of paperwork."

"The Board responded positively, although they haven't made an official decision. The teachers at Hogwarts are pro-GCSEs, but realistically we are still at least two and a half years away from actually offering the exams."

"True. I suppose reacting positively is good enough at this point. We have forced a lot of change down their throats over the last two years."

Matthew laughed. "You can certainly say that. Well, I'm off. Remember to reply to those invites!"

**17 Dec 2006**

After Aletha told Sirius to "stop wining and reply to those invitations, we'll all go," they had determined a trip to Diagon Alley was needed. So, setting out the following Sunday morning, the entire family had made their way to the alley.

After a quick stop at the bank (and after Aletha had to practically drag Sirius and Harry away from Quality Quidditch Supplies), they made their way to Twilfitt and Tattings. Entering the shop, Madam Twilfitt had immediately greeted Sirius.

"Good morning Lord Black. How may I help you?"

"We are here for formal robes. The boys will require something clean but elegant. I was thinking perhaps trousers and button downs with an overrobe. I don't want to try to force them into something too stuffy. My wife, Aletha, will handle herself and my daughter."

"I think I have an idea," Madam Twilfitt responded, heading over to a rack of children's robes. She pulled out a dark blue robe with silver embroidery. "For your eldest, perhaps. It is a clean, straight cut with plenty of room for movement, but the embroidery adds a bit of elegance."

Sirius nodded. "Harry, come here please. Can you try this on?"

As Harry stepped up onto the footstool, Madam Twilfitt helped him into the robes. Taking out a measuring tape and some pins, she began altering the robes as Sirius watched. "What do you think?" she asked as the pins and tape finally stopped.

"It looks good. Although I think it would work better with a bowtie."

"It would. Harry is six, correct?" Sirius nodded. "Certainly old enough for a bowtie. I think dark blue to match the robe. I assume you plan on having him wear khaki pants and a white button down?" She asked, as Harry was wearing just that.

"Seems easiest. And could you add the Potter crest to the left breast? Nothing too large."

"Very well. I think that will do. I will have them altered. Now for the younger two. How old are they?"

"Two!" Oberon replied at the same time Polaris shouted "Twee!"

"They turn three tomorrow," Sirius clarified.

"Would you like them to match? Or compliment?"

"Matching I suppose, it might be two many colours otherwise," Sirius laughed. "I could be asking for disaster though, they are hard enough to tell apart as is."

Madam Twilfitt examined the two boys, who were trying, but failing to stay still. Both were wearing khakis and maroon shirts, Oberon's with an 'O,' and Polaris's with a 'P.' "I have a few options," she said, pulling out several small robes. "This one here," she said pulling out a deep green one, "is the simplest. It has no embroidery and needs no tie. A bit to plain, perhaps. This one," she continued, holding up a black one, "is a little more elegant. Closer to a tuxedo in style. This I would recommend a tie with. But again, no embroidery."

"Do have any with more detail, but no need for a tie?" Sirius asked.

"Indeed." She pulled out a steel grey robe. "This one is a little more traditionally fit. It has a few pleats and stitching. While I only have in it grey, I could easily make it in other colours."

"Harry is in blue, so I think we can eliminate that. What would you recommend?"

"Perhaps a burgundy. It would look good with their skin tone. Are they truly identical? I could size the robe to one of them."

Sirius nodded and picked up Oberon. "Can you try on a robe for Daddy?"

"Otay," Oberon responded as Sirius helped him into the robe.

"Would you like a crest on these as well?"

"Yes, the Black crest if you would. Left breast as well, sized appropriately."

"Very well. And for you?"

"I would like a black, tuxedo style robe, but cut short in the back as I will be seated the entire time. Black crest on the left breast as well. I would also like a new tuxedo shirt, trousers, and cummerbund if you would."

"Very well. Should I work off your measurements?"

"Yes please. Owl me when you are ready for the final fitting." Sirius turned to Aletha. "Have you two picked out some dresses?"

"Yes, I selected two for Lyra. A nice, yellow, ankle length one for the Bones' and a knee-length pink one for the Longbottoms'. It is a little less formal, but paired tights and a sweater it is adorable."

"And for yourself?"

"I will be shopping with Narcissa later today. I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise for you, know would I?"

"I suppose not. I better pay, and then we can head to Honeydukes."

Aletha merely smiled as the kids shouted in delight.


	40. The Ball

**25 Dec 2006**

Amelia Bones stood by the entryway, greeting the guests as they entered. The ball had formally started about half and hour ago, as most of the guests had arrived by now. As Amelia ushered Lord Ogden into the main house, Narcissa arrived with Draco.

"Merry Christmas," greeted Narcissa.

"Merry Christmas Narcissa and Draco. You look absolutely stunning," Amelia added, admiring Narcissa's dress. She wore a forest green, long-sleeved ball gown with silver embroidery. The gown while still modest showed a lot more cleavage than Amelia would expect from a pureblood.

"Thank you. I'm afraid my sister was feeling quite scandalous when she recommended a dress shop for Aletha and I. Its… muggle!" she whispered guiltily.

Amelia's eyebrow rose. Narcissa Black in a muggle dress. How things had changed over the last five years. "Well, I shan't keep you. Andromeda has already arrived, but Sirius appears to be running a little late."

"He is probably still trying to avoid coming at all," Narcissa laughed as she guided Draco out of the entryway into the ballroom.

A few minutes later, Aletha Black stepped out of the floo with Lyra. "The boys are on their way," she smiled greeting Amelia. "Hopefully Sirius will stop grumbling once he actually shows up."

"If for no other reason than to preserve his image, I am sure he will," Amelia responded as Harry exited the floo.

"Miss Amelia!" Harry greeted enthusiastically, "Look at my robes! They're all fancy."

"And you look very handsome and gown up in them."

"Oberon and Polaris have fancy robes too. But Daddy dressed them in the same color so you can't tell who is who."

As Amelia cracked a smile at Harry's distress, Sirius exited the floo with the two twins in question. They did look awfully alike, although Sirius maintained he could always tell which one was which.

"Lord Black, may I welcome you to my home," Amelia greeted formally.

"Thank you, Madam Bones. You look beautiful tonight."

"Thank you. Shall I escort you to the ballroom?"

Sirius smiled sheepily, a look of gratitude on his face. "That would be lovely." He was not looking forward to this, and would much prefer to face the crowd with Amelia by his side. So, letting the host lead the way, the group made their way to the ballroom.

As the group entered the ballroom, heads slowly turned as people noticed Aletha, Lyra, and the twins had come with Sirius and Harry. Clearing her throat, Amelia announced, "May I present Lord Sirius Black, his wife Lady Aletha Black, and their children."

Sirius caught Frank's eye at the side of the room and began making his way over. As he passed, he could hear people whispering and looking at his wife and children with curiosity. Finally, after what felt like forever (although it was only a minute or so), Sirius made it to Frank and Alice.

"Glad you could make it," Frank greeted. "The younger children are in the nursery, being watched over by the house elves. Lucas is there, while Neville is in here, dancing with Hannah, I believe."

"I'll walk Lyra and the twins to the nursery," Aletha said kissing Sirius on the cheek. "Why don't you and Frank take Harry and greet everyone. Then I am sure Harry would love the chance to dance with his friends."

Sirius nodded as Alice joined his wife, leaving him alone with Frank and Harry. "Right, who should we start with?"

A grueling hour and a half later, Sirius had finally spoken to everyone and introduced his wife to every. And he was exhausted. While he was fully capable of small talk and such, everyone had wanted to know the same things. "Sirius, I didn't know you were married," they'd begin. "Where did you meet your wife? When did you marry? How are you children?" Talking to Lord Abbott had been the highlight of the evening, as he had swooped in while he was trapped talking to Maura Brown.

"I hardly think this is the time to interrogate the good Lord Black about what the interior decoration of his house looks like," Matthew had smiled. "If you don't mind, I would like to borrow Sirius here." With that, Matthew had led him away from the gossipy woman and introduced to his wife, who incidentally was already talking to Aletha. To say he was relieved was an understatement.

Now he sat at a table with Frank and Alastor, listening as they complained about idiots in the DMLE. Needless to say, the three of them were not the biggest dancers.

"All the traitors might be gone, but some of the new ones are downright incompetent," complained Alastor. "Yesterday I nearly hexed the ears off Roberts."

"Clarke will be the death of me," moaned Frank. "I had him submit his last field report three times before it was good enough."

"Oh how standards have fallen since I left," lamented Sirius.

"Too right, Black. Too right."

Meanwhile, across the room, Harry was having a grand time. After being introduced to several boring grown-ups, Aunt Cissy had invited him to join Draco. While Draco was definitely spoiled, he was fun to hang out with. So, he had followed Draco and joined the other pre-Hogwarts aged children.

After dancing for a little while, Harry had broken off and joined a few of the older boys who were talking about quidditch.

"Do you play?" an older boy, Oliver Wood had asked.

"A little bit. I play in the garden with my dad and cousin when she's on break. She is a third year now. I also play when I'm over at the Weasley's house. Then we almost have enough for a proper game."

"What position do you play?"

"Chaser or seeker. Do you play?"

"Oliver here is a star keeper," explained an enthusiastic Cedric. "He plays in the same little league as me. I play seeker. You are six, right?" Harry nodded. "You should try out next year. The league is for seven to eleven-year-olds. Once you go to Hogwarts, you are too old."

Harry nodded eagerly, anxious to ask Sirius if he could join next year. He really loved flying and waiting till Hogwarts to play was definitely too long. As the boys continued to talk about quidditch and which teams they supported, Harry yawned. Even though Sirius had told him to take a 'siesta,' (because naps were for babies) earlier in the day, he was getting tired. So, searching the room, he saw Aletha dancing with Ted and Sirius sitting at a table with Frank and Alastor. Carefully, he made his way across the room to his dad.

"Hey pup. What do you think of the party?"

"Its fun," Harry replied with a yawn.

"Getting tired?" Sirius asked, pulling Harry up into his lap. Harry merely nodded as he laid his head against Sirius's chest. Sitting there comfortably, he slowly drifted off to sleep as Sirius continued chatting.

**18 March 2007**

Harry carefully tip-toed into his parents room and made his way to Sirius's side of the bed. Trying really hard to not wake up Aletha, he tapped Sirius on the shoulder. Slowly, after a few taps, Sirius's eyes opened.

"Harry?" Sirius asked, glancing at the clock. It was 6:30. The twins tended to wake up earliest, and they usually wouldn't be up until 7 at the earliest.

"We have to make breakfast for mummy," Harry whispered.

Sirius pushed himself into a sitting position and blinked a few times, trying to remember why he was supposed to wake up early on this particular day.

"It's Mothering Day," Harry reminded his dad, eager to get going. "We have to make mummy breakfast in bed. And giver her flowers and chocolate," he added.

Sirius nodded, remembering. Mothering Day appeared to be a muggle holiday, but Harry had learned about it in school and was eager to celebrate it at home. "Okay pup. Why don't you head into the kitchen? I'll be there in a few minutes."

Harry bounded out of the room happily, stopping halfway and tiptoeing as he remembered he was trying to be quiet. Shaking the sleep from his eyes, Sirius folded back the blankets and transferred into his chair. Entering the bathroom, he cast a quick silencing ward. If they were going to do this, they might as well do it right. No sense in waking Aletha up early.

A few minutes later (and another one-way silencing ward on the door to the bedroom), Sirius entered to kitchen to find a very eager and awake Harry. Turning on the kettle (he needed caffeine, as Sirius Black was not a morning person), he asked Harry, "So what are we making this morning?"

"Pancakes! With strawberries and blueberries!"

"Alright. Can you grab the recipe book?"

By the time the pancakes were done (it was slow going as Sirius was not a fantastic cook and Harry insisted on reading the recipe), the kitchen was a bit of a mess, and all the children were awake.

"Okay, Harry. Do you want to bring the pancakes? Lyra, the bowl of berries?"

"What about Oberon and Polaris?"

"They can bring the flowers and card, right?"

The twins nodded as the group made their way into the master bedroom.

"Happy Mothering Day Mummy!" the children shouted, as Aletha sat up.

"Good morning, is this breakfast?"

"We made you breakfast in bed," Harry explained, placing the plate of pancakes onto the tray Sirius had conjured.

"It looks delicious, thank you. Did you guys eat?"

Harry smiled guiltily, "I had to taste test."

Aletha smiled happily as all her children piled into bed with her. Mothering Day, she decided, was a good holiday.

**19 June 2007**

"She is beautiful," Aletha cooed, cradling the small child in her arms.

"I still cannot believe I have a daughter," Remus said, staring at the girl in Aletha's arms. "Sarah Lupin, my daughter."

"How is Amy doing?"

"Quite well. She is a little tired, and Sarah certainly isn't helping, but she is too besotted with our daughter to care. Her mum is coming over tomorrow to stay with us for two weeks."

"That will be a big help for sure. You're lucky she waited for almost the end of the school year. I cannot imagine what would have happened if she had been born during term instead of after!"

Remus smiled lightly. "Indeed, I think for the sake of my students grades they are lucky. I even assigned a final essay instead of an exam so I would have extra time to grade them before the end of the year."

Seeing Sarah had fallen asleep, Aletha carefully placed the infant down in her cradle.

"You are so much better than me. Every time I try to put her down, she wakes righ back up," Remus remarked.

"Practice makes perfect. You forget I have four at home. And the twins were even worse! If only one fell asleep, the other quickly woke them back up."

"I still think it is a special type of magic. But anyways, how are your kids?"

"They are doing fabulously. Harry is just finishing his second year of primary. Next year Lyra will join him at primary and the twins will be at school full time as well. I think Sirius plans to make full use of the summer before the house gets too quiet. You should come by with Amy and Sarah once Hogwarts is out. I know we would all love to see you more often."

"I see how Amy feels. But if she is up to it, we will definitely swing round."


	41. Gatherings

**8 Sept 2007**

"Welcome everyone! I am so glad you could be here today," Alice Longbottom began, greeting the group of parents and children sitting in the backyard of Longbottom Manor. "My name is Alice Longbottom. Let me begin by telling you a little bit about how this day came to be.

The Wizarding and Muggle worlds separated in 1689. Since then, the only people who know about the Wizarding World have been the Prime Minister, King or Queen, and witches and wizards themselves. Muggleborn witches and wizards were not informed of our world until they turned eleven and began attending school. This all changed almost three years ago, when the Muggleborn Contact Bill was passed. Now, muggleborn witches and wizards are contacted the first time they display accidental magic.

The bill also sets each muggleborn and their family up with a partner family in the wizarding world. This family is responsible for introducing them to our world, answering any questions they might have, and generally being available. I have had the privilege to mentor the Thomas family, and I hope they have enjoyed the experience as much as I have.

Today is something I have wanted to do for a while now. I wanted the opportunity for us all to get together, as everyone here will be starting Hogwarts the same year, and get to know each other. I have met several of you already, but I hope to become friends with you all." Alice smiled as the group applauded and Aletha stepped forward.

"Right, I guess I'll introduce myself as well. My name is Aletha Black, and I am a muggleborn witch. My children are those ones over there who aren't paying attention," she added, pointing at Harry, Lyra, and the twins. Harry looked up guiltily. "When Alice approached me with her plans, I instantly agreed and started calling up everyone I know. After all, Alice sometimes still gets confused by the telephone," she added with a broad smile, causing Alice to blush. "But enough about us, Frank and Sirius, our husbands, are anxious to grill, so let's eat!"

As the children all rushed over to the food, Aletha and Alice made their way around, talking to everyone in attendance.

"Samantha Finch-Fletchley, it's lovely to meet you. I love your garden."

"Thank you," Alice replied, "My son Neville loves to garden, and this year we handed control of the flowers beds off to him. I think he has done a marvelous job."

"He has a talent for herbology," Aletha added.

"Herbology?"

"Sort of magical gardening. There are many magical species of plants that require special tending to grow. We use them not only for decoration, but for potions and remedies," Alice explained. "The Longbottoms have a history of being good herbologists, but Frank decided to join the Aurors, sort of the magical equivalent to detectives."

"It really is fascinating that there is entire world hidden in Britain, isn't it?"

"Most definitely. I can still remember when Minerva McGonagall showed up on my doorstep and proceeded to tell me I was a witch. It was quite the surprise. But we really aren't as separate as you might think. Many of us, especially muggleborns and half-bloods, live in muggle neighborhoods and our children often attend muggle primary school," Aletha explained.

"It is good to know Justin won't be at a disadvantage going into Hogwarts."

"Even more so now since he will have several years to explore the wizarding world before attending school."

A few hours later, Frank reappeared out of the house with a mismatched collection of brooms, Matthew Abbott and Henry MacMillan alongside him. Casting a quick sonos, he called out to the yard, "Okay kids, come over here."

The children rushed over, and Alice shot Aletha a look from across the yard. Nodding, she followed the children over. If Frank (and she was sure Sirius was in on this) wanted to have everyone fly, they were going to need every hand they could get.

"Alright," Frank began. "Who here has ever flown a broom?" Most of the wizard-raised children and Hermione stepped forward. "Awesome. If you already know how to fly, Sirius and Matthew will make sure you get a broom. We have a mismatched set, so let us know how much experience you have so we can get you on an appropriate broom. For those of you who haven't flown… well you haven't had a proper introduction to the wizarding world if you don't at least try."

"That's not to say if you don't like it, you aren't a good witch or wizard," Henry MacMillan added. "My wife, a pureblooded witch, hates flying. After she passed flying classes in school, I don't think she ever got on a broom again. But it is certainly worth a try."

Slowly, every child was handed a broom. More advanced fliers, such as Harry were handed the adult brooms and given free range of the garden. (Aletha relaxed after seeing Sirius launch into the air as well and cast some boundary wards). Those who were less comfortable flew less powerful brooms (often their own family broom as Frank had requested people bring brooms if they had them), and were soon enjoying a game of catch led by Matthew. As for those who had never flown before (largely muggleborns), Frank led an intro flying class.

As soon as the parent realized what was going on, all the muggleborns' parents made their way over. No matter how much one hears about flying broomsticks, watching one's child actually fly for the first time is something else. As Frank patiently explained the basics with Aletha's help, the parents took out various cameras and began taking pictures.

"Is this safe?" Eliza Thomas asked, watching nervously as her son Dean mounted a broom.

"Frank and Aletha will make sure they are fine," Emma Granger responded. "My husband and I are both muggles, and the first time I saw Hermione fly I was terrified. She was only five or so. But now she is up with the advanced fliers, zooming about the garden."

"Who taught her?"

"Sirius and Aletha. We were friends before either of us knew Hermione was a wizard. They are actually the ones who first noticed. They introduced us to the wizarding world and have been there for us ever since."

"Flying. I still can't get my head around the fact that my son is flying on a broomstick."

"Nor can I, honestly. But my husband thinks it is the coolest thing ever. He and Sirius became best friends over it."

Eliza laughed, watching as Dean hovered a few feet in the air. As Dean turned to face her, she snapped a picture, memorializing the moment forever. Her son was a wizard. Flying a broomstick. The world certainly was crazy.

By nightfall, most of the guests had left, leaving only the Longbottoms, Blacks, and Grangers sitting on the back porch.

"I'd call that a success," Sirius grinned. "We even got a basic game of quidditch going!"

"Not to mention we had the majority of the Hogwarts year here. Purebloods, half-bloods, and muggleborns all interacting amiably. I never thought I'd live to see this day," Alice lamented.

"It truly is amazing," her husband agreed. "Add that to the changes to Hogwarts, and it's a whole new world."

"That's right," Emma said. "You were explaining those changes to me. Have they all gone through?"

Sirius smiled happily. "Yup. This year the last of the changes was implemented. Hogwarts now has English and Writing class, both Muggle and Magical History, Mathematics, and Science electives. For the arts, there are music clubs, and Minerva says the staff would be happy to help any student start a club not offered. In Dora's letter she said her friend was looking to start a school newspaper."

"Not to mention the additional teachers," Aletha added. "All the core classes have a junior teacher to share the workload. I think this is truly what excited Minerva most."

"I'm glad Hermione will have the chance to continue her normal studies. I was nervous about her never getting her A-levels. Not to mention her GCSEs," Dan admitted.

"To change," Alice announced, holding her glass of wine up for a toast.

"To change," the group echoed.

**17 Feb 2008**

The war council (as Sirius had named it), was seated around the dining room table at 12 Grimauld Place. Mad-Eye, Frank, and Amelia were sitting at the far end, talking quietly together, as the Blacks (Sirius, Andy, and Narcissa) chatted at the other. In the middle, Alice, Ted, and Aletha were discussing Aletha's medical job, waiting for the others to be ready to start.

Finally, Sirius called the group to order. "All right folks, let the meeting of the War Council begin."

Andy swatted him lightly on the back of the head as Amelia cleared her throat. "Very well. First an update from my end. As you are all aware, we were investigating a house in Little Hangleton. We finally were able to procure a team of curse breakers without alerting Fudge, and broke through the wards. As we expected, there was another horocrux inside. This one was a ring, and unfortunately quite nasty. One of the curse breakers lost a hand, as the ring had a strong compulsion to put it on. He did so, only to be cursed with a dark withering curse. Cutting off the affected hand was the only way to prevent the curse from spreading and eventually killing him."

"Wand hand?" Sirius asked, concerned. Losing limbs was a very real risk for curse breakers, but losing your wand hand was hard to recover from.

"Fortunately not. He was also covered medically by his contract. I believe he actually plans to return to curse breaking soon."

Mad-Eye nodded, "no need to let losing a limb slow you down." The group (especially Frank), chuckled slightly at this, as Mad-Eye was famous for requesting to return to work the day after losing his leg. "Any other news on the horocruxes?"

"We found one in Hogwarts," Sirius announced, causing everyone but Andy to stare at him in concern. "Only last week," he continued, "I finally convinced the Board of Governors to search the school for Dark Objects. While I myself do not have a seat on the board, Lord Greengrass does, and he was willing to let me help organize the search. When the horocrux was found, a diadem by the way, I was able to obtain control of it with the help of Lord Greengrass and remove it from the castle."

"Do you think he knows what it was?" Frank asked, concerned. While Lord Greengrass was an ally, they did not want knowledge of Voldemort's horocruxes to spread.

"I am sure he recognized it as very dark magic. He also picked up on the fact that I was not surprised to find something like it at Hogwarts. While I do not believe he recognized it as a horocrux, or even an artifact of Voldemort, I fear he might enquire about it in the future."

"Thankfully, Sirius and I were able to destroy it," Andy added. "This means we have destroyed six horocruxes: the ring, the diadem, the cup, the locket, the diary, and the soul fragment in Harry."

"Does this mean they are all gone?" Alice asked.

Andy nodded. "I believe so. Six horocruxes plus Voldemort himself would add up to seven pieces of his soul. A magically powerful number. There is a chance he made seven horocruxes, but I think six is more likely. Eight pieces of soul would be quite unstable."

"So he is truly gone now?" Ted asked, clearly excited at the thought.

Sirius shook his head, and the group deflated. "I fear not. I was there at Godric's Hollow that night. There was no body left behind. While Voldemort was defeated, I do not believe he was killed. I think it is likely the part of his soul that was in his body is still out there."

"And there is nothing we can do but wait for him to reappear?"

"Not that I am aware of." The group visibly deflated at Sirius's words. To be so close but unable to truly defeat Voldemort once and for all…

"Then we keep our eyes and ears open," Amelia proclaimed. "We are at the advantage. If he is out there, it is likely he is incorporeal. He will need to regain a body. And he might not be aware his horocruxes have been destroyed."

"The most likely time for him to reappear is in three and a half years," Narcissa said, speaking up.

"Huh?"

"In three and a half years, Harry will start Hogwarts. While he gets out in the wizarding world, people don't know where he lives. And when you do go out, it is always in public, well protected areas. You never leave him alone. Hogwarts will be the first time he is vulnerable."

Sirius ran his hands through his hair dejectedly as Aletha sent him a look of understanding and support. "Great. So we wait. And watch. Whatever happens, we do not let him near my son."

Around the table, the group nodded. None of them were going to allow Voldemort anywhere near Harry. None of them were going to allow him to rise again.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is all the horocruxes, as Nagini was not made into one until after Voldemort's return


	42. Chapter 42

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many of the people in this chapter died in the 90s according to canon. However, since I made everything happen 20 years later than canon, they all would have died in the 2010s. (Baring Arcturus, who I killed off early for plot reasons)

 

**19 April 2008**

Sirius groaned theatrically, flopping his head down onto the table. "Why?" he moaned, "why would you think this is a good idea?"

"Because you have been Lord Black for over five years," Andy patiently explained. "While you have done an admirable job acting as Lord Black in the Wizengamont," she continued as Sirius looked up a goofy smile on his face, "you have neglected your duties to the family."

"I helped Narcissa out. You know, allowed her to retake the Black name, prevented her from rotting in Azkaban with that scumbag Lucius."

"And I appreciate that," Narcissa piped in (sounding rather insincere), "but my sister is right. You have been neglecting your duty to the family as a whole. This is going to happen."

"But I don't even like most of them."

"Most of the ones you actively disliked or hated are dead," chided Andy.

"Then who is still kicking?"

"Our grandfather, Pollux, Great-Aunt Cassiopeia, your grandmother, Lucretia Prewitt, Callidora Longbottom, and Cedrella Weasley as you reinstated her into the family," Andy listed.

"Not as bad as I thought," mused Sirius. "A Prewitt, a Longbottom, and a Weasley. Mother would be so thrilled. I wonder how Callidora and Cedrella will get along."

"Well, the only way to find out is to do this," Andy pointed out.

"Fine. I'll do it. I'll organize a Black family meeting." Narcissa and Andy shared a look of triumph as Sirius merely looked resolved to the situation. "But you two are helping me plan and deal with whatever fireworks occur. The last family meeting I attended ended with curses being thrown."

"Most family meetings ended with curses being thrown," Narcissa replied snarkily.

**1 Aug 2008**

Sirius pulled out a long length of rope, holding onto one end. "All right, everyone. Grab onto the rope and don't let go. It's a portkey that will take us to the Black country estate. Everyone ready?" he asked.

Aletha and the four children nodded. Aletha had been a little concerned about the twins portkeying without being held, but Sirius pointed out that they were already four-and-a-half, much older than he had been the first time he portkeyed by himself. (Aletha pointed out his parents were hardly the model for good parenting). Besides, he was unsure who might already be there, and he wanted the twins to appear as grown up as possible. Clearing his throat, Sirius said "Black family gathering," activating the portkey.

They arrived in the entryway to the Black Country Estate to find Narcissa waiting for them.

"Pollux and Cassiopeia are in the library. Arguing about banned books I believe. Draco is exploring the gardens with Nymphadora if the kids want to join her. And Ted and Andy are checking to make sure the guest rooms are clean."

"Thank you, Cissy. Would you mind showing them the way? I should go and greet Pollux and Cassiopeia," he explained with a grimace. While all the remaining members of the House of Black (baring Andy and Cissy and their ilk), conjured bad memories for Sirius, those two were by far the worse. Pollux, (the man who had given birth to Walburga, shudder the thought), had always been sharp and quick to insult. While he had never laid a hand on Sirius, he sure had given Walburga and Orion plenty of reasons to. Cassiopeia, in comparison, was simply unpleasant because she loved to be so. Her favorite pastime was accumulating blackmail material on all the prominent societal figures. He was sure she even had plenty on him.

After taking a deep breath and planting a kiss on Aletha's cheek, Sirius wheeled himself into the library. Pollux and Cassiopeia didn't seem to notice him when he first entered, so he took a moment to study the pair. Looking at them, he realized how old they looked. He knew, logically, that it had been over a decade since he had last seen them, but in that time they had passed from old to frail and elderly. This weakness bolstered Sirius's strength, so clearing his throat, he moved forward.

"Good afternoon Grandfather Pollux, Great-Aunt Cassiopeia."

Sirius felt Pollux's glare of contempt as he stared at Sirius. "Crippled yourself, eh? What did you do? Crash that stupid muggle contraption you were so fond of?"

Sirius shook his head. Pollux's comments, while slightly hurtful, were far from unexpected. "No, actually. Your granddaughter did this. Used a Black Family curse on me."

Cassiopeia spluttered. "Bellatrix did this?" Sirius nodded. "With a Black Family curse?" Again, Sirius nodded. "The nerve! Using family magic against someone of the same blood!"

Sirius raised his eyebrow. Cassiopeia had certainly never argued against the family cursing him before. "Become a pacifist in your old age, Cassiopeia?"

"Don't raise your eyebrow at me young man. I may be old and frail and you the Lord, but there is no need for that. And no, I am not a pacifist. But family magic should never be used against one of the same blood."

"But other magic?"

"Sometimes it is the best way to teach a lesson," she replied sharply.

Sirius sighed. "Regardless on your opinions, there will be no cursing of children while you are here." He would like there to be no cursing at all, but Cassiopeia and Pollux would never agree to that up front. At least as Lord he could protect the kids.

"Who else is coming?" Pollux grumbled.

"Why all the living members of the Black family. And their spouses and children if they so desire."

"Hardly any left," he snorted. "Don't see why you thought this was necessary."

"He didn't," Andy announced striding into the room. "But my sister and I did. Hello Grandfather, Great-Aunt."

Pollux spluttered, turning bright red until he began coughing. After a moment or two, he caught his breath and shouted, "What is that blood-traitor doing here!"

"Why, don't you remember?" Sirius asked, actually enjoying himself. "She is your granddaughter. Middle child of your son Cygnus and all that. And do remember, marrying a muggleborn is perfectly acceptable. After all, my wife is muggleborn." Turning to Andy, he asked, "How is Ted? Is he ready to experience the madness that is the House of Black?"

Andy laughed, "He is well. But do remember cousin, you are part of the Mad House of Black as well."

"Muggleborn?" asked Cassiopeia.

"Quite. And my children, and consequently the heir, are half-bloods. I think it is quite fabulous, not having inbreed children."

Cassiopeia sunk back into her seat, looking thoroughly scandalized while Pollux simply stayed red with rage. In all honesty, Sirius had expected Cassiopeia to know this all ready. She must have been more isolated from general society than he thought.

"Cissy is looking for you by the way. Lucretia and Ignatius have arrived and you should greet them."

Sirius nodded, leaving the two older members of the family to stew.

A few hours later, everyone had arrived and had gathered in the grand dinning room for dinner. Sirius sat at one end of the table, and Pollux at the other. Next to Sirius was Aletha on one side, and Ingatius on the other. While he was not close to Ignatius, he and his wife Lucretia had proven to be strong allies. Next, Narcissa and Andromeda sat next to Cedrella and Callidora. Fortunately, the two estranged sisters seemed to be reconciling, and had formed a sort of bond with Narcissa and Andy over their shared experiences. Their husbands, Ted, Harfang, and Septimus chatted amicably alongside them (Ted sitting next to the women as to put as much space between him and Pollux as possible) as Dora tried not to look to miserable (she had been added as some members of the family had refused to be seated if there was going to be thirteen of them at the table). While Septimus and Ignatius had not brought their families (the Weasley clan being quite extensive and Harfang's family falling under the purview of the House of Longbottom), the table was quite full. In the informal dinning room, Draco and Sirius's children enjoyed a far more light-hearted and fun meal.

Sirius cleared his throat loudly, causing everyone to fall silent around the table. "Good evening everyone, and thank you for coming. I know it has been quite some time since we have had a family gathering as such. And, while we might have had our differences in the past, we are indeed family."

Narcissa and Andromeda nodded happily as Sirius spoke. They had pushed Sirius to hold this meeting because the Black family mattered to them. While Sirius had basically been adopted by the Potters, the sisters had only ever known this family. And, while they certainly did not deny the darkness and hatred that had festered in the House of Black, they believed in redemption.

"As you may have noticed, I reinstated several members of the family. So, let us welcome Andromeda, her husband Edward, and daughter Nymphadora. We also welcome back Cedrella, her husband Septimus, and by extension their many children and grandchildren." Septimus gave a loud laugh at the mention of his many children and grandchildren, while Pollux merely grumbled. "Now now, Grandfather," Sirius responded, seeing Pollux's look of disgust. "Septimus's large family is a blessing. You have complained on many occasion that the Black Family is dying. The Weasley's with their large families have no such problem." He grinned, happy to annoy his grandfather more.

"As long as they don't show up to the family meetings," he grumbled.

Sirius ignored Pollux's last complaint, moving on. "Beyond simply appeasing my dear cousins, this meeting is to go over the role and official beliefs of the Black Family." Everyone in the room sat up straighter in anticipation. It was well known that Sirius did not agree with the family's beliefs. "This family will no longer stand for blood supremacy, bigotry, and hatred," he stated firmly, looking his grandfather in the eye. "There will be no tolerance for this while I am head. And I doubt at any point after that, as I hardly believe a half-blood head of the will promote pureblood supremacy."

"However, I do not believe that it is necessary to destroy the traditional wizarding world to achieve this. Yes, we need to modernize, and I have been pushing to do so, but traditions are important. I have already begun teaching my children the history of their families. And I intend to keep doing so." He paused and looked out at the group, trying to gauge their reactions.

Ignatius and Lucretia nodded in agreement to Sirius. While they had not heard his spiel, they were at least aware of his feelings in the Wizengamont through their alliance. Harfang and Callidora seemed very pleased, as Sirius's stance lined up quite well with the Longbottom's stance. They may not agree on every issue, but with Sirius and Frank working so closely, they were unlikely to fight. As for Cedrella and Septimus, they seemed largely surprised. After all, Cedrella had been disowned long ago, when the family was the darkest in the wizarding world. Lastly, Sirius looked at Cassiopeia and Pollux. To his surprise, Cassiopeia appeared perfectly fine with the changes. She looked contemplative, but hardly antagonistic. Pollux, in contrast was foaming. Sirius wouldn't be surprised if he gave the old man a heart attack before the weekend was over.

"The House of Black will present itself as a grey house from now on. I do not expect you to abstain from all dark magic, as some of it is not inherently evil, but I do expect you to abide by my rules. I am the Lord of this family. I am in charge. If you act against me, I will come after you. That is all for tonight." And with that, Sirius dismissed the group for the evening.

**2 Aug 2008**

"Do you really mean to align the house as a traditionalist, grey house?" Cassiopeia asked, sitting down at the table across from Sirius.

Sirius put down his fork, and pushed his breakfast aside. "I do. I know it will take years, and I am aware that many members of the Black family have a propensity for the dark arts, but we need to change. Face it. Voldemort lost. The pureblood ideology has only led to inbreeding and decreased birthrates. Combined with the devastation of the wars with Grindewald and Voldemort, our society is dying."

"What do you mean, dying?"

Sirius took a sip of water, knowing what he was about to tell Cassiopeia would not be something she wanted to believe. "When I began working to improve muggleborn rights and modernize our society, I knew I would need the neutral and hopefully even some of the dark families on my side. To do that, I needed facts. So, some of my close allies and I did some research. Looking through ministry records, we discovered that since the end of the Grindewald war, more than 50% of muggleborns leave the wizarding world within five years of graduating from school."

"So?"

"So our society is shrinking. How many pureblooded couples younger that fifty have more than one child? More than two?" He paused for a moment, letting her think.

"Not many."

"Exactly. Even the light families suffer this problem. Birthrates are declining. If families only have one or two children, then the population shrinks. Muggleborns used to fix this problem. They tend to have larger families, even if they marry a half-blood, or even a pureblood. After a few generations, we even consider them purebloods, if only young families." He paused again, waiting for her to say something. After realizing she was indeed listening, he continued. "For the last sixty years, muggleborns have been returning to the muggle world in larger and larger numbers. They then either marry muggles, leading to a higher proportion of non-magical offspring, or they homeschool their children. Regardless, they are not increasing our population size. But it is not just children we are losing. We are losing brilliant minds, inventors, shop keepers, chefs, everything. This is not sustainable. We can no longer exist entirely separate from the muggle world and we can no longer cast out our muggleborns."

Sirius stopped again, only to realize the rest of the adults had entered the room and were listening to him intently.

"This is the research you used to convince families such as the Greengrasses?" Narcissa asked.

"It is. And it is the basis for my reforms in the Wizengamont and at Hogwarts."

"But they don't respect our traditions!" Pollux complained loudly.

"No," Sirius replied. "They do not know our traditions. They do not understand our traditions. There is a difference. Think about it. When you all attended Hogwarts, it offered muggle studies. Outdated as it was, it offered wizards a way to learn about the muggle world. You may have chosen not to take the class, or ignored what it taught you, but you had the chance to learn. There was no equivalent class for those not raised in the wizarding world. Muggleborns had no chance to learn our traditions and culture. And when they were exposed to something different, they weren't told the history or reason behind it. I mean, even history was taught by a ghost who only talked about goblin rebellions! If you were thrown into a world that hated you because you were different, a world that refused to teach you how to fit in, how would you feel?"

"And you are changing this?" Harfang asked.

"Yes. I am. Think about what I have worked on these last couple years. The Muggleborn Contact bill allows muggleborns and their families to learn about our world slowly, staring as soon as they are shown magic. Parents no longer have to worry about what is wrong with their children. Magic is no longer something that tears children away from their families. The reforms at Hogwarts include wizarding etiquette and traditions classes. That way muggleborns can learn about wizarding traditions the same way purebloods can learn about muggle traditions and life. I do not want to destroy the wizarding world, as so many pureblood supremacists believe. I want to save it."

With that, Sirius turned and left the room, leaving his family to think about what he had just said.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there is Sirius's opinions on the wizarding world. While he is all about equality for muggleborns, he was raised in a pureblood household and taught their traditions. He has a respect and appreciation for them (if not the bigotry, hatred, and muggle-killing). He knows he needs the support of many of the neutral and traditional families to achieve anything in the Wizengamont. Tell me what you think of his rant/explanation!


	43. Quidditch

**3 March 2009**

Harry was practically bouncing off the walls in excitement. Today was the first quidditch practice of the spring season, and he knew his team was going to take the cup. They had gone almost undefeated in the fall season, only losing to an all girls team based out of London (Harry had been embarrassed to lose to an all girls team until Aletha and Aunt Andy have given him one of their looks). But this year, he was sure they would win. After all, Fred and George played beater for his team, and they were scary with a set of bludgers. He was sure they would make their Hogwarts team next year.

"Ready?" Sirius asked.

"Yup. Is it time to go?"

"If you want. We're going to apparate, so hold on."

With a pop and tight squeeze, Sirius and Harry appeared at the edge of a large field. On either side of the field were a set of quidditch rings, lower and smaller than professional ones, but quite impressive to an eight and a half year old. Harry smiled at the sight. He loved flying, and had fallen in love with playing quidditch ever since he joined a team a year and a half ago. Giving Sirius a hug, he ran off to the center of the field, were several other kids were already milling about and chatting.

"Hello Fred, hello George," Harry greeted each twin. While most people though the twins were completely identical, he had found an identifying freckle on George's nose that allowed him to tell them apart. He was pretty sure the skill came from having identical little brothers.

"Hello Harry," Fred began.

"Are you ready for another quidditch season?" George asked.

"We think we can win the cup this year,"

"If only you don't get distracted,"

"By teams of beautiful girls!"

"I'm only eight!" Harry insisted, "If anyone is getting distracted by beautiful girls, then it would be you two or Cedric."

"Fair point,"

"Our dear Harrikins."

"You know the twin speak doesn't really bother me. Oberon and Polaris have started doing it. Not to the same extent as you two, but still…"

The Weasley twins grinned mischievously. "About that," Fred started.

"We might be responsible for pointing out to O and P,"

"That it is their duty as twins,"

"To speak at the same time," the two finished together.

Harry merely groaned. He was sure it was some sort of spell, but you never knew. "You two are the worst. I'm going to say hi to everyone else." The twins nodded, and Harry wandered off to another group of people.

"Mother bought me the new Comet 260," Draco drawled, holding out his broom for the others to see. "I originally wanted the Nimbus 1700, but mother wouldn't budge. Maybe next year."

"What about the Cleansweep six? I heard it's a good broom," another boy asked.

"For it's price, sure. Besides, if you are going to buy a Cleansweep, you might as well get the seven."

"I fly a Cleansweep six," Cedric interrupted. "And Fred and George fly fives. Nobody can deny they are bad at quidditch."

"But imagine flying a Nimbus. Not everyone can afford them…"

Harry took a deep breath. Draco was his cousin, and he liked spending time with him, but sometimes he was just a little too much. "Draco, you know just as well as I do that nobody in this league rides a Nimbus. They are professional level brooms, and we're only eight."

"I could handle a Nimbus just fine," Draco huffed.

"Sure. As for Comets and Cleansweeps, they are perfectly fine for us. I ride a Comet 240. Are you trying to insult a me by implying my broom is inferior?"

Draco paused, and glared at Harry for a moment. "Of course not. I was just thinking how great it would be to fly a Nimbus."

Harry smiled, "It would be great, wouldn't it? I know Frank has a friend who works for Nimbus. They helped him with the broom for dad. Maybe Frank could talk to his friend and see if Nimbus would do a broom demo and trial for the league."

"That would be brilliant!" Angelina, another chaser shouted.

"We could even see if all the teams could come," someone else said.

Harry turned to Draco. "You'll write a letter, right? Your better at that than me. I don't think I could do it without your help."

Draco nodded, smiling and Harry beamed back. Draco might be a bit of a spoiled prince, but he wasn't really all that bad.

**30 June 2009**

"Draco! Stop fixing your hair! It's time to go!" Harry called up the stairs. Draco had spent the night, as he did about once a month, and today was the day Nimbus was running their demo day. It had grown from a simple demo for the Junior quidditch league to an all day event for all the youth quidditch teams; junior, school, and club.

Draco came bounding down the stairs, dressed in a set of high quality quidditch robes (their team design, but much nicer than necessary), his hair perfectly combed back. "Just because you leave the house looking like you just rolled out of bed doesn't mean I have to. Besides, Sirius said there would be photographers there. I have to look my best."

Harry rolled his eyes, exasperated. He figured if people wanted to take pictures of him they could, but he wasn't going to dress up to play some quidditch. "Come on, I'll get dad."

A few minutes later, Draco, Harry, and Sirius arrived at the Puddlemere's Stadium (generously donated in return for good press). The stadium was bustling with dozens of different teams, as well as everyone's families. In the center of the pitch was a giant tent and racks of Nimbus racing brooms.

"Blimey, that's a lot of brooms," Harry whispered, looking out into the stadium.

Draco merely nodded, his mouth slightly agape. With a small chuckle, Sirius began making his way down onto the pitch. "All right boys. First we need to check in at the main table. You will join your team, and then as a group you can look around. They have a display on the history of brooms, with everything from early handmade ones to a Nimbus 1000. There are souvenirs, snacks, and candy being sold, so feel free to buy something something," he explained, handing each boy a small bag of coins.

"When will we be able to ride the brooms?" Harry asked eagerly.

"At noon, the Head of Nimbus racing will introduce himself and the staff. You then will get the chance to ride the brooms as they call up each team. They also will run workshops on how they make the brooms."

"Really?" Draco asked, amazed. "I thought that was a secret."

"Well, the details are, but they are going to tell you about the basics. Make sure you attend a workshop designed for your age group if you want to attend one," Sirius finished as they reached the check-in table.

A few minutes later, Draco and Harry had joined the rest of the team. In total, they had sixteen players on the team (two for each position, plus 2 extra subs for the chasers/beaters), their coach, four younger siblings (Lyra and the twins were coming later in the day with Aletha), and five parents.

"Let's check out the history tent," Draco urged, already heading towards the main tent. "I want to see the original Nimbus, I've read all about it."

"Do you think they have any information about other broom companies?" Cedric asked. "I hear there are several that failed because their brooms were shite."

"Like the Shooting Star?" piped in Fred.

"One way to find out, come on let's go," Harry replied already pushing his way towards the tent.

Upon entering the tent, the team was thoroughly impressed. There was indeed a Shooting Star, as well as all of the old Nimbus, a Moontrimmer, an Oakshaft 79, a Silver Arrow, and more. The brooms were organized chronologically, beginning with the first handmade ones, and ending with a prototype of the Nimbus 2000.

"Wow," Angelina breathed, admiring the new Nimbus 2000. "I here the English national team has already ordered them."

"As have the Irish. It is expected to hit limited market early next year and publically the year after," added Draco.

"Blimey, that's a slick looking broom," mutter one of the twins.

"Too bad they aren't raffling one of those," one of the kids remarked dejectedly.

"Raffle?"

"Yah. Dad says Nimbus is raffling off a Nimbus 1700 at the end of the day. It's one galleon a ticket and all the proceeds go to St. Mungos," Harry explained.

"Damn, and I don't have entire galleon in pocket money," moaned one of the chasers.

"Well, luckily for you," their coach explained, "Lord Black generously bought each of you a raffle ticket. If you want any extras, you'll have to buy them yourselves, but at least you all have a chance."

"Awesome!" shouted the twins, high fiving.

"Yes, awesome. Now come along, it is almost noon."

By the end of the afternoon, Harry and Draco were getting rather tired. They had explored the museum, learned a little about broom making, and eaten loads of sweets. But most importantly, they had gotten the chance to fly the Nimbus 1700, and actually play with some real quidditch players. Harry was pretty sure it was the best day of his life. They meet up with Sirius and the rest of the family, grabbing seats to wait for the much anticipated raffle.

"That was amazing!" Harry began, "one of the chasers for Puddlemere said I had potential!"

"And I scored!" Draco added enthusiastically.

"I take it you two had fun?" Sirius questioned.

"It was the best dad. Thanks for helping making this happen."

"No problem, but it really was you two. Draco, your letter to the head of Nimbus was brilliant. Cissy would be so proud of you, using your slytherin qualities for good." Sirius smiled softly as Draco beamed in pride. It had taken him quite a while to get over his belief that all slytherins were evil (okay, till Andy and Cissy threatened to hex him mercilessly), but now he could see the benefits of being cunning, clever, and resourceful. Especially if those powers were used for good. He figured if he was going to live in a family of slytherins (Aletha was convinced the twins would be slytherins), then he might as well encourage using said powers for good.

"Thanks, Sirius," Draco added as the head of the Nimbus Racing Broom Company took the stage.

"Good afternoon everyone," the man began. "I would like to start by thanking you all for coming, the players, Junior, School-age, and professional, their families, the volunteers here to make things run smoothly, and the ministry workers providing extra security." He paused, giving the audience time to applaud. "But now, I think it is time for what all of you have been looking forward to. The raffle. As you may know, tonight we are raffling off two Nimbus 1700 brooms." He paused again as the crowd broke out in excitement. "I know, exciting. But what you may not be aware of, is that all the proceeds from the raffle are going to St. Mungos. So, not only do you have a chance of winning a fabulous broom, but you are also giving to a noble cause. So, without further ado, the raffle!"

The seeker for Puddlemere United walked on the stage, holding a golden cup. Placing it on the table, he withdrew his wand and tapped the side of the cup. The crowd collectively held their breath as a small piece of parchment shot into the air. The seeker caught the paper, and handed it over to the head of Nimbus. Clearing his throat, he began, "The first winner of a Nimbus 1700 is… Katherine Bell! Congratulations!"

"She's on the all girls team that beat us last fall," Harry whispered to Draco as shouting was heard from a section of girls wearing hot-pink quidditch robes.

"She is good, even if she is a girl," Draco admitted. "But I really wanted to win."

"There is still another drawing to occur," reminded Sirius. "Not to mention we have the money to buy a nice broom. Not everyone does. That is what is so great about this raffle."

Draco huffed, "Doesn't mean I don't want to win."

"No it doesn't."

After a few minutes, Katie had received her broom, had her picture taken and was standing off to the side of the stage with her parents. The crowd fell silent once again as the seeker of Puddlemere tapped his wand against the side of the goblet. Catching the paper once again, he passed it off to be read. "The second winner of a Nimbus 1700 is… Charles Weasley!"

Again, shouting could be heard (this time from a large sea of red, both in hair and Gryffindor quidditch robes) as Charlie made his way up onto the stage.

"That's Dora's boyfriend, right?" Harry asked.

Sirius nodded and Aletha smacked him on the back of the head. "He's not her boyfriend, just a close friend."

Draco and Harry shared a look, and Draco mouthed "boyfriend for sure," causing Harry to giggle.

As photographers from the Daily Prophet took pictures of the two winners and their families, the rest of the crowd began thinning out. As Harry made his way out of the stadium, he realized he didn't really mind not winning. After all, he had a perfectly nice broom… and could always beg Sirius for a 2000 when they came out.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I gave both brooms to Gryffindors, but in fairness most of the quidditch players we know about are either Gryffindors or Slytherins, and the Slytherins usually have plenty of money to buy nice brooms.


	44. Times are a Changin'

**2 Sept 2009**

_Dear Sirius,_

_You'll never guess what happened at the sorting last night. Fred and George Weasley were sorted into Slytherin! I looked over at Charlie, and he was just sitting there gaping until his mate slapped him. He started clapping then. When I talked to him this morning he was miserable though. He kept complaining that now Slytherin were bound to win the quidditch cup because Fred and George were such great beaters. I reminded him they were only firsties, but he seems determined to sulk. There was also a muggleborn sorted into Slytherin! I know muggleborns can be clever and cunning, but it is weird to think of a muggleborn in that house. I mean, even when I was a firstie they were all about blood purity. But I guess your reforms are working. I don't think the majority of the Slytherins even realize she is a muggleborn (I only know because we ran into her family at the Leaky Cauldron and mum let them in). Anyways, that's all for now. I just figured you'd be interested in the crazy sorting._

_Love,_

_Dora_

**3 Sept 2009**

_Dear Dora,_

_I know this might sound crazy coming from the mouth of your oh-so-gryffindor cousin, but I think the twins will do quite well in Slytherin. After all, it takes resourcefulness and cunning to be a quality prankster and the twins are quite good… for firsties. I did check in with Molly, the twins mum after hearing. Apparently the twins hadn't written yet, but Percy has. He seemed to think they were scared the family might be annoyed because the Weasleys have always been Gryffindor. So I reminded Molly, and if you would tell the twins for me, Prewitts have always been a bit more of a mix. And the twins are half Prewitt. Keep an eye on the twins and the muggleborn girl for. I am sure they will be fine, and their head of house will keep an eye on them… but still._

_Love you lots,_

_Sirius_

**8 Sept 2009**

_Dear Fred and George,_

_I hear you were sorted into Slytherin. Congrats. Draco has been taunting me because he says he will be in Slytherin too, and now his quidditch team will be better than mine (everyone says I am too Gryffindor). So, I call you two for all our holiday pick-up games. Deal? Have fun at school, I'll miss playing quidditch with you. And pull lots of pranks._

_Harry_

**20 Sept 2009**

_Hello Black Family!_

_It's Fred and George. Otherwise known as the new Slytherin Junior beaters! The captain of the house team wanted us to play for him, but our head of house said we had to get good grades all semester before he would consider such a thing! Good grades? That's awful!_

_As for the Snake Den, it's not so bad. All our year-mates are fairly nice. There are a couple spoiled brats, but we're used to them. And tell Andromeda, yes, it's still there. (We are thoroughly impressed)._

_We also found a weird piece of parchment in an old abandoned office. It was in a file cabinet, and one of the files in there (and one of the largest at that) was labeled Black, Sirius. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you Sirius?_

_Well, we must go to class if we want to play quidditch,_

_Gred and Forge_

**3 Oct 2009**

_Dear Fred and George,_

_Was this room 234-00? And was said folder full of detention slips? If so, does the parchment display insults from Mr. Prongs, Mr. Moony, and Mr. Padfoot if you try to write on it? REPLY ONLY TO ME!_

_Sirius_

**4 Oct 2009**

_Yes. Tell us more._

**5 Oct 2009**

_Fred and George,_

_The office you found was Filch's old office. He was a nasty man who used to be caretaker of Hogwarts and often supervised detentions. The piece of parchment you have is called the Marauders Map. I made it back in school with Remus Lupin and James Potter. To activate, simply tap your wand to it and say 'I solemnly swear I am up to no good.' When your done, tap your wand to it again and say 'mischief managed' to prevent teachers from using it. Good luck young padawan pranksters._

_Padfoot._

**3 Nov 2009**

Sirius Black did not want to wake up today. He did not want to get out of bed or even look at a calendar. No, Sirius Black did not want November 3rd, 2009 to happen. His mood had been darkening all throughout the past week. At first, Aletha thought it was simply the slight depression and anger he felt every year around the anniversary of James and Lily's deaths and all thinks 'going to shit.' And, while that certainly did contribute to Sirius's black mood (pun fully intended, thank you very much), it was not all. For, November 3rd, 2009 was the day Sirius Black turned thirty. Today was the day Sirius became **OLD** (at least according to him).

The worst part of turning thirty, was people wanted to celebrate it! They wanted to have a party, and a cake with **THIRTY** candles on it. Any time the number of candles on the cake could be classified as an inferno, the recipient of said cake was **OLD**. When Aletha realized her husband was devastated at the idea of being old, she pointed out she had turned thirty last month. Which meant if Sirius was old because he was thirty, then she must be old. He had vehemently denied that statement (after all, all husbands know calling their wife old means death) and stopped complaining, out loud, about growing old. But still, he most certainly did not want to turn thirty. Which was why he was currently laying in bed, covers over his head, trying to think of a way to never emerge again.

"Happy birthday Daddy!" shouted Oberon, as he ran into the room.

"We made you breakfast!" added Polaris as both twins launched onto the bed, quickly pulling the covers off Sirius's head.

"Aren't you excited?"

"Mummy says this birthday is a big one!"

"And she is making you a cake."

"And there is going to be a party!"

"Aunt Cissy is hosting it."

"Cause her house is HUGE!"

Sirius grudgingly opened his eyes, staring at his sons. "What type of cake?"

The twins looked at each other and shrugged. Polaris hopped off the bed and ran to the doorway, shouting "What type of cake Mummy?"

"Chocolate and peanut butter!"

"That's your favorite!" Oberon exclaimed in excitement. "You should get up."

"Or Harry will eat all the breakfast."

"And I want bacon."

"There's bacon? Let's go!" And with that, both twins were off, running out of the room.

Sirius groaned and sat up. He supposed bacon was a good enough reason to get out bed, seeing as his plans to simply pretend the day was not happening had been thwarted. Transferring into his chair, he looked up. "Laugh away Prongs, laugh away. Padfoot is officially old."

Sirius decided that maybe being thirty wasn't so bad. After all, the only adult who wasn't yet thirty at the party was Remus, and everyone knew Moony had been born old. His physical body just hadn't caught up to his soul yet. The presents were also a plus. Sitting on the table next to him were tickets to an upcoming football match (for him, Dan, Frank, and Ted), a servicing kit for his motorcycle, a mountain of pranking items both muggle and magical (which were NOT to be used around Aletha), a remote control car, and more.

"So how does thirty feel?" Frank asked, pulling up a chair and sitting next to Sirius.

"Not as bad as I thought," he admitted, taking a sip of his beer. "Although watching the kids play out there does make me feel an awful lot like a responsible adult. I mean, even Remus's kid is walking and talking now. When did I become a responsible parent?"

"Not sure. Although I did overhear Harry telling Neville how you picked him up from school on the motorcycle the other day."

Sirius grinned sheepishly. "Yah, I had to pick him up early for an eye exam. I figured we might as well take the bike." He looked Frank in the eye, "don't you dare tell Aletha though."

"Won't do. Did you here Bagnold isn't running for reelection?"

Sirius nodded, "Any idea who will run?"

"Not sure. I've heard a few rumors and speculations, but nothing definitive. Who do you want to run?"

"I think Amelia would make a good minister. She is fair, neutral, and well respected."

"Not to mention a close ally. It would give us, especially you, a lot of power in the Ministry." Sirius shrugged nonchalantly. "You know, Sirius, you are far more Slytherin than people realize."

There was a time Sirius would have hexed his friend for saying so, but time had put everything in perspective, so Sirius simply took another sip of beer and replied, "The hat wanted to put me in Slytherin. Remember how long I sat under that damn thing?" Frank nodded. "I spent the entire time arguing with the damn hat to put me anywhere but Slytherin. It finally decided that if I was brave enough to defy my parents, I'd do okay in Gryffindor."

"Huh. Never would have guessed that. You were always so rash, the opposite of the Slytherins."

"Yah, I often act before thinking things through, especially back then. But part of it was the fact that I didn't want to be cunning. I focused so hard on not being an evil Slytherin like the rest of my parents I forgot that not all Slytherin traits are inherently evil. But Andy and Cissy beat that out of me," he laughed.

Frank simply nodded, imaging the power Sirius could have if he truly embraced his Slytherin side and tried. Even now, Sirius largely ran the Wizengamont. With the help of allies, and with their full support, but he ran it none the less. Frank was suddenly very happy Sirius was on his side.

**29 March 2010**

_Amelia Bones New Minister of Magic!_

_Wins in Landslide Election_

_Earlier today, Madam Amelia Bones was sworn in as the 32_ _nd_ _Minister of Magic. The ceremony was brief and simple, lacking the pomp and circumstance of previous administrations. Does this simplicity of the ceremony set the tone for the administration to come? Will Minister Bones continue to support the reforms being passed in the Wizengamont? Only time will tell._

_Amelia Bones, the current head of the House of Bones, rose to Minister of Magic from Head of the DMLE where she spearheaded the efforts to round up all the remaining Death Eaters. This effort included the one day shut-down of the entire Ministry in March of 2003. Every single member of the Ministry was questioned, and raids were run around the country on suspected Death Eaters. The result? Over two dozen arrests, including prominent members of society. While many criticized the shut down as a harsh overreaction, Bones quickly gained support as the results came to light. Only about six months later, Lord Black revealed himself, and the sweeping reforms of society began._

_These reforms, while unpopular at first, have gained the support of wizards from all walks of light: traditionalist purebloods, half-bloods, and even muggleborns have all shown support. Lord Greengrass, a respected pureblood said, "I never expected to be working so close with muggleborns, but these laws are important. You-Know-Who advocated killing all the muggleborns, and many purebloods followed him. But they never asked what the consequences of such an action would be. Read 'The Consequences of Grindewald and [You-Know-Who]' by Erik Summers. It's an enlightening read.' (Erik Summers is a young historian who helped write the bestseller 'Dumbledore's Youth: How a Man Became a Legend' with Bathilda Bagshot in 2003)._

_As for Minister Bones herself, those who worked with her only offer their upmost support. Frank Longbottom, the newly appointed head of the Auror Division provided his support. "Amelia is an honest, trustworthy woman. I have worked with her in the DMLE for over a decade, and she has been nothing but just. She will fight for what is right, no matter what."_

_We here at the Daily Prophet hope only the best for Minister Bones and her new administration._

_To read more on the Death Eater Raids of '03 and Madam Bones' role, turn to pg 5._

_To read more on the reforms in the Wizengamont, turn to pg 6._

_To read more on Erik Summers and his newest book, turn to pg 7._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know some of you might be annoyed that I put the twins in slytherin, but I honestly think they would fit in quite well if not for the whole blood purist crap. After all, they are certainly cunning, ambitious, and resourceful in the novels.As for Bones as Minister of magic, one might wonder how much power Sirius really has...


	45. Hermoine's Letter

**19 Sept 2010**

Hermione Granger awoke at the crack of dawn, put on her slippers and bathrobe, and headed downstairs. It was far too early for anyone else to be awake, but Hermione could hardly sleep. After all, it was not everyday that a witch turned eleven. And, while Hermione loved all her birthdays, this one was extra special. For today she should be receiving her Hogwarts letter.

Suppressing a yawn, she made her into the kitchen and opened the fridge. She pulled out a cartoon of milk and some berries. Relaxing in the early morning silence, she grabbed some cereal and a bowl and sat down at the table with a book. ( _The Lord of the Rings_ , one of her favorites). She sat there, munching on her cereal and reading happily until her parents made their way into the kitchen.

"Good morning Sweetie, and happy birthday," Dan Granger greeted his daughter.

"Morning Daddy."

"Still waiting?" Hermione nodded. "I'm sure it will be here soon. Sirius did say they always came by your eleventh birthday."

"What if I don't get one?" Hermione asked, growing slightly nervous at the fact.

Her father simply laughed as he poured himself a cup of tea. "I'm sure it will be here soon."

"You've been doing magic for years," Emma added. "I mean; I've even seen you ride a broomstick!"

Hermione giggled at her mother's expression. "Could you imagine trying to explain that to Nana? Or the neighbors?"

"Not at all," Emma replied.

"I'm actually surprised the neighbors haven't noticed anything. What with you and the Blacks next door. Not to mention Sirius's bike!"

"He even flew Harry to quidditch on it in the middle of the day! He said he put a 'notice-me-not' charm on it, but still," Hermione added seriously. "I wonder if…" she began when suddenly an owl swooped in through the window (Hermione had made sure to open it as soon as she woke up). "Its here!" she shouted, jumping up from the table.

Quickly untying the letter from the owl's leg, Hermione began to read.

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_

_Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc.)_

_Dear Ms. Granger,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. The next upcoming orientation and tour is Jan 7th 2011. Please let us know if you will be attending orientation no later than Dec 1st. The other orientation dates are April 25th and July 15th._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_

_UNIFORM_

_First-year students will require:_

_1\. Three sets of plain work robes (black)_

_2\. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear_

_3\. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)_

_4\. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)_

_Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags._

_COURSE BOOKS_

_All students should have a copy of each of the following:_

_MAGICAL_

_The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)_

_by Miranda Goshawk_

_A History of Magic_

_by Bathilda Bagshot_

_Magical Theory_

_by Adalbert Waffling_

_A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration_

_by Emeric Switch_

_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_

_by Phyllida Spore_

_Magical Drafts and Potions_

_by Arsenius Jigger_

_Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_

_by Newt Scamander_

_The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection_

_by Quentin Trimble_

_NON-MAGICAL_

_Key Stage 3 Books Complete Study and Practice_

_by CGP books_

_(Maths, English, Science, History)_

_Latin Prep: Book 1_

_By Theo Zinn_

_OTHER EQUIPMENT_

_1 wand_

_1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)_

_1 set glass or crystal phials_

_1 telescope_

_1 set brass scales_

_Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad._

_PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS_

_ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK_

_Yours sincerely,_

_Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus_

_Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions_

"Can we go shopping today?" Hermione begged, putting the letter down.

"I suppose we could get your wand, as it does seem appropriate."

"And the magical books? I know I've read a few, but I want to be prepared for Hogwarts. And my potions things? Aletha said she would be willing to teach me the basics once I was eleven…"

"Slow down, Hermione," her mother answered. "We have plenty of time. It is only September after all. We can get your wand and potions gear today if you really want, but there is no need to get the rest yet. I am sure you have already picked up a few spells from all your magical friends."

"Well, yes. But having the textbooks is completely different," Hermione complained half-heartedly (she was getting her wand, after all).

A few hours later, Hermione was the proud owner of 10 ¾ inch vinewood wand with a dragon heartstring core. In her mind, there was nothing more beautiful or amazing. She was really a witch now.

**11 Jan 2011**

"Good morning everyone! My name is Professor Pomona Sprout and I will be your tour guide this morning. I teach Upper Level Herbology here at Hogwarts and am Head of Hufflepuff. I will show you around the grounds and lower level of the castle for about an hour and a half. I also am responsible for telling you all about our magical classes. Any questions before we begin?"

A short brown-haired boy raised his hand, and Professor Sprout called on him. "Terry Boot. Will we see the upper levels of the castle?"

"Yes, you will. After I am done showing you around, you will have lunch in the Great Hall where you will meet the rest of the staff. Then one of our non-magical subject teachers, Professor Lupin I believe, will show you around the rest of the castle and talk to you about our non-magical offerings. Anything else? Right. Let's be off!"

With a cheery smile, Professor Sprout turned and led the group through the main gates onto the grounds. As they passed through the gates, the castle came into view and all the children, muggleborn and pureblood alike, gasped at the sight of the castle. The muggle parents, too, were amazed for the castle was truly magnificent. Parts of it appeared to only be held up by magic, while other parts looked formidable and foreboding.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," Sprout began. "Located in the Highlands of Scotland, the castle is unplottable. Founded in 990 AD…"

"It's better than I imagined," Hermione whispered to her parents.

"And beautiful," replied Emma. "I am so glad they offer an orientation. I cannot imagine what it would be like to send you to a school I knew nothing about."

"Aletha's parents must have been made of sterner stuff," Dan agreed as the group wound its way around the greenhouses into the entryway.

"Oh, I think we are headed to the Great Hall!" exclaimed Hermione. "Did you know the ceiling is charmed to look like the sky outside?"

"Quite right, Ms?"

"Granger, Hermione Granger."

"Yes Ms. Granger. The ceiling is bewitched to mirror the weather outside," Sprout said. "Now, as we head in, I must warn you, Hogwarts is home to many ghosts, so do not be alarmed if you see them floating around."

"Ghosts?" Dan asked, suddenly very nervous. He grew up listening to campfire stories of ghosts and was hardly eager to meet one, let alone several.

"No need to worry, they are quite friendly," Sprout explained as the Fat Friar breezed through the wall.

"Oh my, what is this?" the jovial ghost inquired.

"A tour of the school for next year's students and parents."

"Marvelous, marvelous. I hope to see some of you youngsters in my old house, Hufflepuff, come September!"

"See, they are quite friendly," Sprout reassured the concerned muggle parents as she opened the doors into the Great Hall.

After a delicious lunch, Professor Lupin stood, smiling softly at Hermione and her parents. "Okay, now for a different part of the tour. I teach Writing and English Literature here at Hogwarts, one of many non-magical classes offered. This is where the tour swaps things out. For those of you who live in the muggle world, this part will seem similar to any other muggle boarding school. For those of you raised in the wizarding world, or who attended Hogwarts like me, this might be a little different."

"I'll say," nodded Mrs. Brown. "There certainly weren't any non-magical classes when I was here!"

"Indeed not. Over the last few years, Hogwarts has added non-magical history, english, science, maths, and Latin courses. While some students do not appreciate the added work," he paused, as two boys gulped nervously, "the teachers here all agree the classes are a positive addition to the school. Now, who is ready to head upstairs and see some dorms?"

By the time they reached Gryffindor tower, Hermione was exhausted. Seven flights of stairs (that moved!) was an awful lot. She was going to have to get in shape. As she finally huffed her way up the last step, she saw the group was waiting in front of a portrait of a very fat lady.

"Right. We are right outside the Gryffindor dormitories, one of four houses here. I was a member of Gryffindor house when I attended Hogwarts," he added with a smile. "Now, while term is not in session, there are a few students staying here over the holidays. As a result, you might find personal belongings lying about. I ask that you do not touch anything, and respect the students' privacy."

With that, the group entered the common room. It was warm and inviting, with squishy chairs and a warm fire. It was clear the students staying for the holidays were not concerned with being neat however, as several books, sweaters, and games were lying about. Hermione instantly fell in love with the inviting room as Remus explained how the dorms and rooms were set up.

By the end of the day, Hermione both thoroughly exhausted from the long day and more excited than ever to start Hogwarts.

"What did you think, Sweetie?" Dan asked as they entered their house.

"I was amazing! There was so much magic everywhere, and the professors seem really nice! I mean, I already knew Professor Lupin, but everyone else seemed great too."

"I'm glad you liked it. I must admit I am much more relaxed about sending you off to boarding school now that I have seen the place and know some of the people who will be teaching you."

"Not to mention we can ask Remus how you are doing every time he goes over to Sirius's" added Emma.

Hermione groaned. "But that's almost every weekend! How am I supposed to have fun with you spying on me?"

Dan coughed in surprise. "Are you planning on being a rule breaker? I suppose those friends of yours must have a least a bit of influence over you after all."

"Its not my fault," she protested. "Harry always seems to get in trouble. And I'm sure his dad will send him to school with plenty of pranking products."

Emma laughed, knowing full well, that despite Aletha's best efforts, Harry was indeed going to be sent off with a year supplies of prank items. "We're just glad you have such great friends. And I promise we won't spy on you… too much."

Hermione merely groaned as her mother and father engulfed her in a giant hug.


	46. They're All Grown Up

**30 June 2011**

Nymphadora Tonks was excited. So excited that she didn't even bother yelling at her mother for calling her by her full name. For today was the day she graduated from Hogwarts. She had completed all her essays, taken her Newts (and GCSEs), and partied hard the previous night (not technically a requirement, but a tradition). Even better, she had applied and gotten into the Auror academy and would be starting in September.

Finishing her breakfast, Dora headed outside, meeting up with Charlie on the way out.

"Good morning!" she greeted cheerfully.

"Ugh, how can you be so awake and excited?" Charlie moaned, rubbing his temples.

"Hungover?"

"And you aren't?"

"Nope. Hufflepuff has a stash of hangover cures for this morning. The sixth years brew them for us."

Charlie stared at Dora, looking thoroughly miserable in the bright sunlight.

"I just might have one for you," she teased, pulling a small bottle out of her robe.

Charlie reached to grab it, but his normally sharp seeker reflexes were dulled by his pounding headache. Pouting slightly, he begged, "Mum is going to kill me. Please?"

"Alright, fine," she agreed, handing over the potion. "But you owe me one."

Gulping down the potion and grimacing (it wasn't a particularly pleasant tasting one), Charlie nodded. "Great. What's it going to be this time?"

"Not sure, but it will be a good one. I would say you have to help me next time I babysit for Sirius, but with all your siblings, that wouldn't be too difficult for you."

Charlie smiled happily. Two years ago she had used one of her favors to have him help look after Harry, Neville, Hermione, Lyra, and the twins while the adults had a "night out." She thought six kids would be too much, but Charlie simply smiled. After all, he had five younger siblings- and two of them were Fred and George. "Come on, let's get going," he said pulling Dora forwards (his headache gone). He didn't want her dwelling on favors too long.

Andromeda sat next to her husband, tears welling up in the corner of her eyes as she listened to the Head Boy give his speech. Her little girl was all grown up, and sometimes she could hardly believe it. As she sat there, half listening to the speech, she remembered all the firsts- first steps, words, days of school. And she remembered the less conventional ones- first time Nymphadora showed off her metamorphagus powers, first prank with Sirius, first detention letter, boyfriend (Charlie, although the two quickly realized they were much better suited as friends). And now she was all grown up. An adult, moving into her own apartment (although she suspected Nymphadora would come over quite often as she could hardly cook) and getting a job. She was proud, as any parent would be, but also a little bit sad. Maybe she should have had a second child. No, Nymphadora was more than enough on her own.

She applauded politely as the Head Boy finished his speech. Headmaster Dumbledore stepped forward, his robes as garish as ever (Andromeda was okay with having one's own style- as in her daughter- buy Dumbledore's robes were just too much).

"Today another year of students graduates. Another year of students heads out into the world." He paused, looking out at the students, who were practically squirming in excitement. "And there are many things I could say, much advice I could give. But I believe I will leave that to others. For sitting in front of me is a group of students who are eager to receive their diplomas and celebrate." He paused again, as the audience chuckled. "So, without further ado, let's hand out those diplomas."

Professor McGonagall stepped forward, casting a sonorus. She pulled out a piece of parchment and began, "Adams, Henry." A tall, lanky boy stood up and headed up to the stage where Professor Flitwick handed him a framed piece of parchment. He shook hands with Dumbledore, paused for a photo, and head back to his seat. Andromeda relaxed and watched as McGonagall read another name.

A little while later, McGonagall announced "Tonks, Nymphadora." Beside her, Ted laughed quietly as Dora scowled ever so slightly at her first name. Pulling out his camera, Ted began snapping as many photos as possible as Dora made her way upstage. As she walked, her hair slowly migrated from the bright yellow and black it was (Hufflepuff colours) to red. Holding Ted's free hand, Andromeda smiled. Even as a newly minted adult, Nymphadora couldn't hide her emotions.

As Charlie left the stage, the graduates erupted in cheers, throwing their hats into the air. The families, too, stood, and began making their way to the edge of the lake. In a ceremony reminiscent of how the children arrived at Hogwarts, the graduates made their way to edge of the lake and boarded the small boats (only two to a boat now, as they were much larger than they had been at eleven). As the boats pushed off, beginning the ceremonial trip across the lake, Andromeda was sure there wasn't a dry eye in sight. After all, if a daughter of the House of Black was showing emotion, then nobody was immune.

**31 July 2011**

It was only five in the morning when Harry woke up. But he could hardly be expected to stay in bed when it was his birthday. Especially since he was turning eleven, arguably the most important birthday in the wizarding world. Quietly, he made his way downstairs, moving slowly as to not wake anyone else up. When he reached the kitchen, he pulled out his Hogwarts letter, reading through it once again. He was pretty sure he had it memorized, but still.

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_

_Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc.)_

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. The next upcoming orientation and tour is July 15th 2011. Please let us know if you will be attending orientation no later than July 1_ _st_ _. If you cannot make that date, please respond and we will organize another date instead._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_

He had been to orientation, and listened to others complain about how he got his letter over a month before he turned eleven- to which he replied that he still had to wait longer than any of them-, and asked Sirius and Aletha a million questions about school. But what he hadn't done was buy his wand. No amount of begging, pleading, or otherwise would convince Sirius and Aletha to let him have it before he turned eleven. Which was totally unfair, because Hermione had hers! (He completely disregarded the fact that she had been eleven when she received hers as well). But today he was officially eleven, so today he was getting his wand. And Harry was excited.

Two and a half hours later, Harry was woken by Oberon and Polaris jumping on top of him.

"Morning Harry!"

"It's time to get up!"

"Daddy says if you don't get up"

"We won't get your wand today."

"I was already up!" Harry protested, leaping up from the couch.

"The snoring says otherwise," teased Sirius as he laid out a plate of chocolate chip banana pancakes.

"Well, I got bored waiting for everyone else," Harry defended.

"And missed me cooking breakfast?"

"Really bored…"

Sirius laughed as Harry poured syrup onto his pancakes. Eleven year olds never admitted to falling asleep.

"Daddy, are we only getting Harry's wand?" Lyra asked.

"No, we need to buy his school uniforms and supplies as well. It is more fun if you do it all at once."

"What about me?" she asked, trying her best to look innocent.

"What about you?"

"Do I get anything? Or do I just have to follow along all day," she moaned.

"And us!" Oberon piped in.

"I want something too!" Polaris added.

"You do, do you?" Sirius asked, trying his best to keep a straight face. "But it is Harry's birthday, not yours."

"But sharing is caring," Lyra responded, looking proud of herself for that argument. It was one Aletha's favorite sayings.

"What do you think, Harry?"

Harry paused, and looked at his siblings, who were all practically begging. "I think we should probably stop by the joke shop and ice cream shop. To be thorough," he added.

"To be thorough," Sirius agreed as the younger three shouted in excitement.

A few hours later, Harry stood in front of Ollivander's wand shop. As he stared at the wand displayed in the window, he grew nervous. "What if Ollivander can't find a wand for me?" he thought. "What if I'm not actually a wizard?" While he knew these were not possibilities, he couldn't help but wonder.

"Ready to go in?" Sirius asked. Aletha had taken the twins and Lyra to the toy store, leaving Harry alone with Sirius.

Harry gulped. "I guess so."

"It's okay to be nervous, kiddo. Getting your wand is a big deal."

"Were you nervous?"

Sirius laughed. "I was. The previous week I had snuck into Aunt Narcissa's room and tried out her wand. It did nothing for me, and I convinced myself I didn't have magic."

"Why didn't it work?"

"Because the wand chooses the wizard. Cissy and I, while related, are not very similar. Her wand is ill suited to me, and mine to her."

Harry simply nodded, took a deep breath, and entered the shop. Sirius, popping a wheelie over the step followed Harry into the cramped shop.

"I wondered when I'd be seeing you, Mr. Potter. It seems only yesterday that your mother and father were in here buying their first wands. And Mr. Black, ebony with dragon heartstring, 10 ¾ inches if I remember correctly." Sirius merely nodded, as Ollivander began pulling out wands. He handed Harry wand after wand, often taking them back after Harry had barely touched them. Finally, after about a dozen wands (it felt like a hundred to Harry), one shot our bright red and blue stars when he waved it.

"Excellent. Holly and gryffon feather, 10 ½ inches long. Good for both offensive and defensive spells."

"How much?" Sirius asked.

"Seven galleons."

Sirius paid, and the pair left the shop, Harry still admiring his wand. "What do you think," he asked.

"I think it's a good fit. Holly wands are known for picking people who are brave and pure of heart." Harry beamed as Sirius led them to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour to meet everyone else.

**14 Aug 2011**

The end of summer was nearing, and Sirius was feeling a little sad. He was happy Harry was headed off to Hogwarts, and knew he would have a great time, but he would miss him. While the other three would still be at home, it was always hard for a parent to send their child off to school for the first time. Placing the last of the food on the table, he called out into the back yard.

"Lunch time!" He yelled, causing Harry, Draco, Neville, Lyra, and Hermione to land. The twins were still too young to fly unsupervised.

"What's for lunch?" Harry asked, skidding to a halt at the doorway.

"PB&J. I've got to feed you all the good muggle food before you guys head off."

"You don't have too," Draco complained good naturedly.

"But somebody has to teach you what it is like to live a normal life, Draco."

"I'm a Black."

"So am I."

"Fair, but I live with my mum."

Sirius laughed loudly, conceding the point. "In that case, I call my teachings a success. Come on, let's eat."

Everyone sat down at the magically expanded table, digging in. Flying was hungry work. After sandwiches had been consumed, Draco cleared his throat.

"Yes Draco?" Sirius asked, sensing this was something more serious.

"About me being a Black…" Sirius motioned for him to continue. "My Hogwarts letter was addressed to Mr. Malfoy."

"And mine to Potter!" Harry added. "It was kinda weird cause I'm almost always Harry Black."

Sirius ran his hands through his hair, thinking about what he was going to say.

"Hogwarts letters are addressed automatically," he began. "Your names have been down ever since you did your first accidental magic."

"When I was still a Malfoy and Harry was only a Potter?"

"Right. And, it is further complicated by family names. You see, both Malfoy and Potter hand properties and Lordships attached. If you both legally became Blacks, and Blacks only in the magical world, you would lose those."

"But I don't want to be a Malfoy," Draco admitted softly. "I know my father wasn't a very good man, and I don't want to be like him."

"And you are nothing like him," Sirius reassured softly.

"Can we hy…" Harry began, stumbling over the word.

"Hyphenate," Hermione provided.

"Yes, you could. And you could be either Malfoy-Black or Black-Malfoy," Sirius added. "This would only be legally of course. You could request people to call you only Mr. Black," he said.

"What about me?"

"You could do the same, Harry. However, I fear for you it might be a bit harder."

"Why?"

"Because you are the boy-who-lived." Neville said quietly.

"Oh."

"Yes. Despite our best efforts, your name is still known throughout the wizarding world. Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived."

"But what if I want to keep being Harry Black?"

"Then I say stay being Harry Black. I will not think less of you."

"What about my first mum and dad?"

"They would only want you to be happy."

"I want to be Draco Malfoy-Black then. I want to be part of your family, not his."

"I like hyphenating," Harry added. "Then everyone knows you're my dad too."

"I'll contact Hogwarts then."

"Thanks dad."

"Thanks Sirius."

As the children ran off, Sirius relaxed. He knew how much having the Black name meant to both boys. Draco, because he wanted to distance himself from his father, and Harry because he wanted to be closer to his new family. Sirius remembered the first time Harry went out into the wizarding world. After the quidditch game, Harry had been confused why everyone had referred to him as Harry Potter. He was known as Harry Black at school and occasionally as Harry Potter-Black with their wizarding friends. He had asked if he wasn't a Black because he wasn't Sirius and Aletha's kid by birth. It had taken a bit of explaining, but eventually Harry had understood he was just as much their kid as Lyra and the twins. Yes, he would make sure both boys were addressed by the names they wanted.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Harry has a different wand than canon. The wand chooses the wizard and Harry is a different wizard.


	47. Gone at Last

**22 Aug 2011**

"Right, I think that covers everything," Minerva McGonagall announced, straightening her stack of papers. "Unless there is something else you would like to add, Albus?"

"No, I think that is all. I am sure you all have plenty to do before the students arrive in just over a week."

"Indeed. I must admit, I am rather excited. The seventh years are the first class I taught," Remus added.

"It is amazing, isn't it? The changes over the last few years? To think, this is my seventh year," Professor Meghan added.

"It is nice to keep a defense teacher for more than a year," agreed Minerva. "The pickings were getting quite slim. Well, I'm headed out. I have a few more things to organize this week."

As the rest of the teachers stood, Albus cleared his throat. "Actually Minerva, there was something I was hoping to talk to you about. Would you mind?"

"Not at all, Albus. Not at all." Sitting back down, Minerva waited until the rest of the staff had left. It was quite a larger staff than it used to be, but Minerva was certainly glad about that change. To think, she only taught the upper years and had time to run a chess club!

"I have a project I would like your help with," Albus began. "I was hoping to get Flitwick, Sprout, and Hagrid involved as well, but I decided to start with you."

"Go ahead," Minerva prompted.

"There is an object I recently obtained that I wish to keep in the school this year. It used to be in Gringotts, but I felt a change might be nice."

"What is this object?"

"A possession of my old mentor, Nicholas Flamel."

Minerva paled suddenly. "The Philosophers Stone? Surely not…"

"Indeed it is. I was concerned for its safety in Gringotts, and unfortunately I was right to worry. Only last month the vault it was stored in was broken into mere hours after I had it removed. I believe Voldemort was after the stone. I fear I was right in believing he was not dead forever. With Harry coming to Hogwarts this year, I fear it is only a matter of time."

"And you plan on keeping it in a school full of children?"

"It would be guarded, of course. And this is where I require your help. I was wondering if you would help me by setting up an obstacle of sorts to prevent people from getting to the stone."

"An obstacle?" Minerva asked in disbelief.

"Maybe a transfigured chess set or such," Albus mused as Minerva simply stared. Certainly the man must have gone nuts! To propose storing such a valuable, coveted object- and one that someone recently attempted to steal- in a school full of children was madness. "If you could let me know what obstacle you create, that would be great. Thank you Minerva."

Minerva simply stood, unsure as to how to respond. Deciding direct confrontation would achieve nothing, she left the office, and headed back to her own. Once inside, she poured herself a glass of firewhiskey and simply sat for a moment. She had never quite believed what Sirius and Amelia had implied about Albus. She assumed things had simply slipped his mind. Not to say he was entirely innocent, only that he was not purposefully harmful. But this was a whole new level! He was knowingly endangering children! And for what, a chance to lure a dark wizard into the castle? No, Minerva McGonagall could not sit by and let him do this. She made her decision. Throwing a handful of floo powder into the fireplace, she called out "Department of Magical Law Enfocement, Frank Longbottom's Office."

Frank was enjoying a quiet afternoon in the office. No major crimes, mysteries, or disturbances to worry about. Simply an afternoon catching up on paperwork and maybe even heading home early. He only had a little over a week left before Neville left for Hogwarts, and he intended to make the most out of it. Just as he was preparing to leave early, the floo sprang to life, and Minerva McGonagall's head popped in.

"Professor McGonagall?" Frank questioned, surprised. It was almost the school year, so all of the staff was at Hogwarts preparing. He couldn't imagine what McGonagall was calling about.

"Call me Minerva, Mr. Longbottom. I am not longer your professor and haven't been in quite some time. I'm afraid I need your help. May I come through?"

"Certainly," Frank replied, opening the floo connection entirely. "And call me Frank then." A moment later, Minerva was standing in her office, looking distraught. "What is the matter?"

"It is Albus. I fear he has done something stupid." Minerva sighed, going on. "I have reason to believe he has placed a highly valuable object in Hogwarts in attempt to lure You-Know-Who out of hiding."

"Amelia suspected he would do as much," muttered Frank under his breath. "We figured it would be this year." Speaking more loudly, he addressed Minerva. "I need to call in some people who need to be involved in this discussion. Please, take a seat."

Minerva nodded, and sank into the chair across from Frank's desk. Frank summoned a tea set and poured a drink, serving the thankful transfiguration mistress. Seeing Minerva was comfortable, he exited his office, walking next door.

"Alastor," he greated, "Can you call Amelia and get into my office? We were right about the timeline."

Mad-Eye nodded, rising to his feet as Frank left the office. Frank knew Sirius was likely home with his kids, so he stepped into a small, warded room. Pulling out his cell phone (hence the warded room), he dialed Sirius's number. A moment later, he answered the phone. "I have intel suggesting Voldemort is making his move."

"Meet at Grimauld in fifteen?" Sirius asked over the phone. "I can alert Andromeda and Narcissa."

"Sounds good," he finished, hanging up. Stepping back into the office, she found Amelia and Alastor already waiting with Minerva.

"Who is senior in the office?" Amelia asked, immediately taking charge.

"Shacklebolt," Alastor replied. "I let him know Frank and I had a meeting. He knows he is in charge."

"Not that there is much going on. He'll call if there is trouble," added Frank.

"Right. Let's go then."

Minerva stood, confused. "Go where?"

"Right. We are headed to Grimauld Place. The Black Family's London home. A few other people will be joining us. The information you are bringing us is not unexpected…" trailed off Amelia.

Minerva simply nodded as the group flooed to the Black family home.

Stepping out of the floo, Amelia was shocked to find Sirius, Aletha, Andromeda, Ted, and Narcissa already waiting. Their faces were grim and determined, as if they already knew what she was going to say. Which, upon further review, she realized just might be the case. After all, Frank had not seemed terribly surprised, and already mistrusted Albus.

"Remus and Alice are on their way."

"The kids?" Amelia asked.

"Dora's at Sirius's," Andormeda replied. "And Alice said Agusta will spend the afternoon with Neville and Lucas."

"Excellent. Shall we head to the dinning room then?" Sirius asked.

Amelia nodded, and the group made their way to the table. After everyone had seated themselves, and Alice and Remus had arrived, Frank began.

"About half an hour ago, Minerva flooed me with disturbing news. Minerva, if you would?"

Minerva paused for a moment, unsure of herself. She had contacted Frank as he was head of the Auror department and a one of her lions, but now she was addressing a large, seemingly organized group of people. Actually, it reminded her of the Order of the Phoenix. With a slight nod of reassurance from Amelia, Minerva began explaining everything Albus had told her (and implied).

"Well, at least we know he is trying to come back now," Sirius remarked when Minerva had finished.

"You knew You-Know-Who was going to come back?" Minerva asked in shook. Albus had always believed so, but she had never been sure.

"Yes," Aletha explained. "Andromeda and I found definitive proof that he was not entirely killed almost ten years ago. Since then, we have been working on a way to permanently kill Voldemort."

Minerva couldn't help but shudder. "Almost a decade?"

Amelia nodded. "At first it was just the Tonks, Longbottoms, Sirius, and Aletha. They worked in secret to protect Sirius and Harry, as well as solve the problem. When Alastor and I found out, naturally we decided to help."

"And Lucius was arrested in the process of this. Once I was free of him," Narcissa paused, and Andromeda squeezed her hand, "I decided to help Sirius reclaim the name Black and get rid of the bastard."

Minerva was stunned. Ten years. For ten years- almost as long as he had been gone- they had known. And they had worked against him. "And what progress have you made?"

The group broke into smiles. "We have been waiting for Feb of '08 for Voldemort to make his move," Sirius explained. "He is now completely mortal, killable, and very weak due to his lack of body."

"We weren't sure if he was still alive, but we figured if he was, he would make his move when Harry went off to Hogwarts," Alice explained.

"And now we kill him," Moody finished gruffly.

"How?" Minerva asked.

"If the stone is indeed in Hogwarts and Voldemort is indeed after it, which I believe he is, then we use that to our advantage," Amelia began.

"Voldemort does not trust others," Narcissa continued. "I don't think even Lucius was privy to his plans. If he is after the stone, he is there in person."

"But without a body?" Ted asked.

"Possesion," Remus sighed. "And probably of a Hogwarts teacher." The group nodded in agreement. It seemed the most likely route. "Has anyone seemed off or different?" he asked Minerva. "Many of the wards have not been activated yet, correct?"

Minerva nodded. "The ward upgrade is scheduled to finish tomorrow. I believe the wards guarding against the entrance of malevolent spirits are some of the ones being upgraded."

"And if Voldemort is already inside when the wards are reactivated, they wouldn't detect him," Sirius concluded. "What, I learned a fair bit about warding growing up in the Black family," he protested at everyone's surprise about his knowledge.

"I cannot think of anyone off the top of my head, but many of the staff members only returned to the castle this morning."

"Hardly long enough to set off warning bells," agreed Remus.

"So then what?"

"I bring Aurors in to investigate claims of a dangerous artifact being stored in a school," Amelia announced.

"And I can lock down the wards, preventing anyone from leaving the castle," Minerva added.

"Then we check every teacher for possession and kill the bastard," agreed Moody.

"Not to mention get Dumbledork out of the castle," Sirius muttered.

Several of the group laughed, while Minerva simply raised an eyebrow in questioning. "Don't ask," Amelia mouthed in explanation.

**23 Aug 2011**

Less than twenty-four hours later, Amelia Bones, Minister for Magic, led a group of twenty Aurors into Hogwarts castles. As Minerva had promised, the wards were locked down tight. Splitting the group into two, she sent half to arrest Dumbledore and find the stone, and half followed her into the Great Hall. There, one by one, the staff (including Minerva and Remus) were sent to check for signs of possession.

She had begun to wonder if their assumptions had been incorrect when they finally found him. As Professor Quirinus Quirrell, the wizarding customs teacher entered the room, all hell broke loose. Once he realized what was happening, Voldemort took over the body and began attacking the Aurors. Fortunately, with eleven against one weakened spirit, the fight was over rather quickly. With an anticlimactic cutting curse (in response to an Avada Kedavra), Quirrell toppled over dead. The black mist of a wraith tried to escape the body, but simply withered away into nothingness.

"That was rather…" Frank began.

"Anticlimactic?" Amelia asked.

"Yah. I wasn't hoping for it to go poorly… I just sorta expected it to."

"I guess our efforts paid off." Frank simply nodded as the other Aurors looked at the pair questioningly. They had been told a teacher was possessed, but not by who.

"Right. Fergus, take the body back to the morgue. O'Hare, inform Professor McGonagall about what just transpired. The rest of you, with me. I believe we had another man to deal with."

When Amelia and the rest of the group arrived at the Headmaster's Office, they found him stunned and tied to a chair, with three Aurors standing awkwardly around him.

"Sorry ma'am," one of the Aurors began. "He tried to get away, so we stunned and bound him. The others are fetching the artifact as we speak."

"Excellent work, Auror Wood. Did you put suppressing shackles on him?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Right. As soon as the others inform us that the item is secure, take him back to a ministry holding cell." Turning to Minerva, who had followed the group, she added, "Is there anything else you need help with?"

"No, I think we are good here. Although I will need a new Wizard Studies teacher and headmaster."

"I think you would make a fine Headmistress, Minerva."

"Thank you. And while I will take over the duty until I find someone else, I believe I much prefer to teach than administrate."

"Well, then good luck my friend."

"Thank you."

Across London, in the basement of an old house, a rat paused. It jerked its left arm in shock and pain, darting forward. Its right paw landed on a rat trap, and in its surprise, it didn't notice the spring loaded trap until too late. A moment later, a dead rat lay on top of an ancient trap, left paw still twitching.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's a bit anticlimactic, but it sort of felt right. After all, they have been working to kill Voldemort for ten years and have had all the horocruxes gone for two and a half. As for Wormtail, I feel like he didn't deserve a dramatic send off in this story


	48. Epilouge

1 Sept 2011

Harry stood in front of the barrier to Platform 9 ¾. "You're not joking, right?"

"I'm serious," his father smirked.

"Daaaad!"

"I'm not joking. Just head right through. I'll be right behind you. And you can always take it at a run if you need to."

"Okay," Harry nodded, taking a deep breath and running forward. Just as he thought he would hit the barrier, he felt himself slide through and appear on the other side. A moment later, Sirius appeared, trailed closely by the twins.

"That's so cool!" one of the twins cried.

"I can't wait till we get to go!"

"That's a long way off," Sirius reminded them as Lyra and Aletha appeared through the barrier. "Right pup, give your old man one last hug?"

"You not old," Harry reminded Sirius as he leaned in for a hug. A moment later, Sirius released him and Aletha hugged him tight as well.

"Remember," she whispered in his ear, "We'll be proud no matter what house you end up in. And I'm sure you'll have lots of friends in any of them."

Harry nodded as his mum let go, leaving him free for his siblings to mob.

"Love you," Lyra said, hugging her older brother tight.

"Send us letters?" Oberon begged.

"Lots of them?" Polaris added.

"Of course. I'll miss you."

"And we'll see you at Christmas," Sirius reminded. "Now off you go. It's time to go find your friends."

"Okay. I love you," Harry finished as he lugged his trunk on board.

"Love you too," Sirius and Aletha responded together. A few minutes later, the train blew its whistle, slowly making it's way out of the station.

"I can't believe he is off to Hogwarts," Sirius said.

"Me neither. It seems like only yesterday we moved in together," Aletha responded as the train disappeared out of view.

"Indeed."

The End. :(

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't currently have plans for a sequel, but I have a few companion pieces in mind, so look for those. I also plan on editing the story to make it better. Feel free to comment with any suggestions!
> 
> As for my next major story, I am working on A Black Resurgence, which is another Sirius raises Harry story, but with a very different feel/focus. Feel free to read it!
> 
> Alex.


End file.
